I caught part of an interview on 2GB sports with Mark Levi after 6 today interviewing the ref for the SOO game.
he was asked about head contact and he basically said any contact with the head would be the responsibility of the defender. This is regardless of if the player is jumping, falling, whatever.
so I give you Tedesco, the serial falling ball player. Scenario 1, he is running at the defender and starts to drop, as he always does, and his head makes contact with the defenders chest. The ref sin bins the defender.
scenario 2, he is running at the defender, drops again, and his head hits the defenders groin. Ref sin bins the defender.
as laughable as that sounds, that’s exactly what the bloke said. All liability lies with the defender. Any contact with the head, regardless of the type, will result in a sin bin.
so what stops the astute coach from getting his players, not mentioning said Tedesco who is already playing this game, to always drop in the tackle and hit their head into the defender. Automatic sin bin, automatic advantage.