Collingwood midfielder Adam Treloar says it is inevitable that a player’s approach to tackling will need to change, following recent suspensions for tackles that have concussed opponents.
His Pies teammate Brodie Grundy accepted a two match suspension for a dangerous tackle that knocked out North Melbourne’s Ben Brown, only a week after Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield was ruled out of Brownlow Medal contention for a similar incident.
“I think it’s going to change the way we approach our tackling for sure,” Treloar said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“We’re going to have to change that, because we can’t afford to have guys who are so important, like Brodie missing games off tackles.
“We’re going to have to approach it in a different way, and I think most clubs will be doing that.”
Having been told his entire career to pin both arms, in order to perform the perfect tackle, Treloar says while it is the best method to earn a free kick, players will have to pull back on it to avoid bad injury consequences.
“Now I suppose we can’t tackle with both arms pinned, especially going down because that’s just going to end in a bad way, and that’s obviously the guy landing on his head,” he said.
“It’s quite hard because it’s the best way to get someone holding the ball – by pinning both their arms.”
Only moments before the Grundy incident, Treloar was awarded a free kick, after the umpire deemed Roos captain Jack Ziebell performed a dangerous tackle of his own.
He admitted at the time, he thought neither incident was worthy of punishment.
“I didn’t know (I was going to get a free kick), I thought it was a fair tackle,” Treloar said.
“(With Brodie’s) I didn’t see until Ben Brown wasn’t moving on the ground. Obviously it looked a bit different when I saw the replay.
“I didn’t think there was any malice at all, and I still know there wasn’t because Brodie is one of the best people in the world and wouldn’t hurt a fly.”