To go or not to go: Why AFL world must accept Rachele incident as part of the game going forward
To go or not to go.
It’s the question every footballer has asked themselves during a game and it’s one you know will draw plenty of criticism and discussion if you do the ‘wrong’ thing.
But should we be criticising the players given the current climate around concussion?
Potentially we’re witnessing a change in guard and the fossils that pot players should have a good hard look at themselves.
This is a topical discussion after Adelaide’s Josh Rachele went back cautiously and dropped a mark in the Crows’ Friday night loss to Essendon.
It’s a mark he should’ve taken, no doubt, but as Luke Hodge and David King explained on SEN Crunch Time on Saturday, it’s a moment of learning and not one that will define him as a player.
“I thought the lights got into his eyes because two seconds later after he flinched he went back with the flight of the ball and tried to take a chest mark in a very courageous act,” Hodge explained.
“Looking back on it, it did look like he hesitated, but everyone has done that and are players going to remind him of that? Yes, they are.
“That’s just what you do, if you can't get into your opponent's head they will remember it, they will say it and they will try and get you to second guess yourself.
“I’ve played a lot of footy and I’ve done that a lot of times, everyone has second-guessed themselves when they’re sitting under a ball and the ball is sitting up, you don’t know who’s coming, you’ve got blokes coming from behind you with a knee.
“All this talk about concussion and all this talk about people finishing their careers there’s no doubt that’s going through someone’s head.
“Anyone who’s sitting back and saying he’s taking a short step, he may have flinched a little bit but everyone who has played football has done that in their career.”
The Crows head to Melbourne next weekend with a clash against North Melbourne and Hodge says the young Crow should expect a few reminders about the incident from his opposition.
“Next weekend when he plays against North Melbourne, if he chirps at anyone you know there’s going to be a handful of North Melbourne blokes reacting to what he did because people watch it and people don’t want to be in that position but North Melbourne are definitely going to bring it up,” Hodge added.
“I don’t think young kids are like that anymore, back in the day if you did something like that you would be quiet for the next ten weeks but for kids that’s water off a duck's back, they have got that much lip about them these days.
“I’ll be watching intently their next game if someone has a go. What’s his reaction, if he kicks a nice goal is he going to go and give it to someone>”
With the scores tied with 12 minutes to go, that incident proved costly for the Crows given the scoring opportunity that was there and no doubt it would’ve haunted the 22-year-old for the remainder of the game.
Moving forward, King says the times have changed when it comes to addressing the incident during the week but concedes Rachele will need to make amends against the Kangaroos and going forward.
“We’ve all done it and it’s a hard one to get over in the moment as it does sit with you for the rest of that game,” King said.
“Once it’s in your head, the others don’t need to remind you about it because you know you’ve done it and you know it looks poor and your thinking the Monday review is going to be a slaughterhouse.
“The player knows and I think the line coach does all that coaching, he’ll sit down with the line coach and talk their way through it.
“In the old days, they’d put it on the screen and they would replay it and no one would say anything and they’d just replay it three or four times.
“He’s going to have to curb the other side of it for a while, the shooshing of the crowd against Carlton last week and the carry on.
“You can’t be both, if you’re going to give it you’ve got to wear the old blow running back with the flight.
“You can’t jump out of the boat and then be firing some sledges anymore.”
Rachele finished the game with 20 disposals and one goal in Adelaide’s three-point loss.
They’ve started the season 1-5.