A mere six weeks into the regular AFL season, and already we have seen several displays of excessive on-field violence.
What's just as concerning as the incidents themselves is that despite the AFL's desire to stamp out the more dangerous incidents, many televised football commentators are hindering the cause by making excuses for players, playing down the severity of their actions, and failing to condemn them.
Arguably, as a society, Australia's tolerance for violence is waning, and both the AFL and the NRL have been proactive in diminishing the prevalence of deliberate and reckless violence that might endanger players' safety.
Since 2005 the AFL has utilised a points system to grade the severity of actions and punish those who, intentionally or not, have impacted the head of another player. Since 2011, players can be deregistered from the competition if they accumulate 16 weeks' worth of suspensions.
The NRL also categorise contact according to severity, with dangerous throws, high tackles, and head high contact the most serious. They too have 'carry over' points for repeat offenders and, following Paul Gallen's series of punches to the head of Nat Myles during a State of Origin match in 2013, introduced a one-strike policy, sending any player who lands a punch off the field immediately.
Though neither system is perfect, they send a clear message to players: if you make impact with a player's head, expect to be suspended. Continue to get suspended through the course of your career and risk being booted from the competition.
Yet troubling incidents continue to occur.
In round four of this year's AFL season, Stephen May of the Gold Coast Suns was suspended for five weeks after a sickening hip and shoulder to the head that left Brisbane Lions player Stefan Martin unconscious. The following week, Richmond Tigers defender Alex Rance was suspended for two weeks for a deliberate elbow to the head of Melbourne Demons forward Jack Watts.
"Last season, a head high bump by Western Bulldogs player Brett Goodes was described by Leigh Matthews as 'good, fair play', yet the AFL tribunal saw it quite differently."
Both May and Rance showed remorse. They accepted their suspensions, did little to defend their actions, and spoke remorsefully to the media, seemingly aware of the dire consequences that could easily have resulted form their actions. Asked if it was the lowest point of his career, Rance said it was, 'from a perspective of knowing better and knowing the