Rucciuto declares bump is dead
One of the game's greatest exponents of the bump says the trademark move is dead, with Adelaide great Mark Ricciuto predicting coaches will have to ban the tactic to ensure key players aren't rubbed out.
The eight-times All-Australian, Brownlow medallist and AFL Hall of Fame member said he could not believe Fremantle star Nat Fyfe had been forced to accept a two-match suspension for a bump Ricciuto judged as perfectly acceptable.
Ricciuto was so outraged, he contacted two senior AFL officials yesterday to urge them to change the new rule regarding head clashes that involve bumps.
Fyfe made legal contact when he bumped Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli in the shoulder, but was penalised because the contact resulted in a clash of heads that left the opposition midfielder bleeding.
"It was a total accident," Ricciuto said. "Although the rule says what it says, I don't think 98 per cent of footy followers agree with it.
"If they're going to suspend players for incidents like that where it was accidental, then they may as well just ban the bump full stop.
"Coaches will start telling their players that they're not allowed to bump because the potential downside, or the risk v reward, doesn't stack up anymore.
"Nat Fyfe is a fair, honest player. It should be a free kick at absolute worst or even play on.
"I just think it's a joke."
Ricciuto fell foul of an ill-judged bump, copping a one-match ban for a high knock that floored Eagle Adam Selwood in the final round of the 2005 season.
The 312-game champion is also known for one of the game's best remembered hits - a crunching bump during 1996 that knocked West Coast's Dean Kemp unconscious and was deemed legal.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said he would seek advice on how to help his players avoid head-high hits after Cat Taylor Hunt received a one-game ban for a similar offence at the weekend.
