Rory Sloane fears the alarming pattern of tunnelling is creeping again into the sport amid a rising effort by groups to seek out a solution to cease Western Bulldogs gun Sam Darcy and different key forwards.
Standing at 208cm tall, Darcy is among the hardest gamers to cease each time the Bulldogs line up.
And a 49-point win towards North Melbourne final week put a highlight on the re-emerging pattern as Wil Dawson looked for solutions in his bid to cease Darcy.
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Nonetheless, the technique couldn’t completely stop Darcy from slotting targets for his workforce, with the important thing ahead discovering three of his 4 for the match within the last time period.
The 21-year-old’s one-on-one battle raised considerations for Sloane, who fears the defensive methods he’s dealing with are inserting him at larger threat of a extreme damage.
Bulldogs star Sam Darcy leaps for a mark towards the Swans. Getty
“Clearly it’s extremely onerous to defend such an enormous beast,” Sloane stated on 9’s Footy Classified.
“However plainly gamers are beginning to tunnel once more.
“I do not know if we have to stamp it out or ship a phrase of warning out once more, however while you soar and you’re falling into the hips of a participant it’s so harmful.
“It isn’t solely Sam Darcy, it is Riley Thilthorpe, Josh Rachele. I am involved for gamers if they’re going to pop the knee… it is how Josh Rachele did his knee on the weekend.”
James Hird referred to as for the AFL to award free kicks in response to tunnelling.
“It must be a free kick once more,” James Hird added.
“Though, it is rather onerous to cease Sam Darcy. There may be positively a tactic to physique examine him, hit him on his chest or his bottom to push him ahead and cease him marking.”
Darcy is prone to be matched up towards Adelaide Crows key defender Jordan Butts when the Western Bulldogs take the sector at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Sloane doesn’t imagine concern with tunnelling will apply to Butts’ sport fashion.
Izak Rankine of the Crows towards Trent Rivers of the Demons. Getty
“I believe Jordan Butts performs on him this week and he very a lot likes to lock down and attempt to cease a participant from leaping,” he stated.
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“He will not do the tunnel as a result of he’s extra of a lock down type of participant. However it’ll have to return from the stress up the sector to assist Jordan Butts out as a result of Sam is simply too good.”
9’s Tom Morris questioned if the Western Bulldogs can be contemplating flagging tunnelling as a priority with the AFL if the matter is to escalate within the coming weeks.
Hird replied: “I am unable to think about that they would not be talking about it.
“I believe they’d have recognized it earlier than we now have.”