Amid confusion and uncertainty surrounding the dangerous tackle debate, one thing has been made clear – players need to adjust or risk further suspension this season.

Already eight players have been banned for dangerous tackles in 2023, with Richmond’s Nathan Broad copping the heaviest of suspensions – four weeks for the sling tackle that concussed Crow Patrick Parnell.

Fox Footy’s Gerard Whateley believes a line in the sand has become clear watching the Clayton Oliver tackle vision that emerged this week: “It’s contact to the head, not contact to the body”.

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Whateley’s clarification comes as video of Oliver slinging Swan Luke Parker to the ground swirled on social media, with footy fans questioning why one of the early Brownlow Medal favourites wasn’t facing a spell on the sidelines similar to the likes of Tom Green, Taylor Adams and Zach Merrett.

“Yeah I looked at that (Oliver tackle) and thought, he’s damn lucky,” AFL 360 co-host Garry Lyon conceded.

But Whateley clarified that at no point did Parker’s head make impact with the MCG turf – saving Oliver from a ban.

“There are those who say we’re in the grip of confusion,” he said on AFL 360.

“We have a suite of case studies through five rounds of what is no longer tolerated. Nathan Broad is the starting point and you can work your way through.

“It’s not just two actions – it’s the driving, the slinging, dumping to the ground and it all resides around the head making contact with the turf.

“That idea that (a ban) is only for the (two actions), that’s not right.

“It’s contact to the head, not contact to the body.”

Addressing the Oliver moment directly, Whateley explained why it was simply a free kick and not a trip to the tribunal.

“That’s a dangerous tackle free kick instead of a dangerous tackle suspension because Parker doesn’t land on his head. If he does, Oliver serves multiple weeks on that. If he (Parker) hits his head, the potential to cause injury is going to cost Oliver a lot.

“Just like every other adjudication … not every tackle is a suspension. For ones where the head hits the turf, that’s where you’re going to get (in trouble).”

But plenty of players and commentators say there is still a level of uncertainty over what is and isn’t allowed.

“I think players are unsure and unclear what’s going on,” Will Schofield said on AFL Tonight.

“Decisions are made in a split-second, I think it’s a really difficult one to stop. I don’t think the action’s just going to stop like that.

“Some of these tackles are just footy motions that, they end up hitting their head and they’re going to get getting suspended – we’re just going to have to accept that.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a quick fix anytime soon.”

Essendon duo Dylan Shiel and stand-in skipper Andy McGrath agreed.

“As players, we’re lacking clarity on how to tackle at the moment,” Shiel said on SEN.

“We make decisions in microseconds. Bodies end on the ground, the ball ends on the ground.

“No moment’s the same.”

“All the players would love clarification. I think we play a game that’s so random and chaotic at times that when you’re not exactly sure on what’s allowed and not allowed – there’s been a lot of cases in the last few weeks that have been done,” McGrath added.

AFL coaches and commentators agreed the ‘bring them to ground’ mindset would have to change moving forward.

“That’s the hardest position to be in from a player tackling another player – this transitional period,” Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy.

“I think a lot of coaches are right – you’re better to not take the players to ground.”

Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir described the tackle bans “as a difficult one”.

“We don’t want players to stand up in tackles and be able to get the ball out,” he said.

“Sometimes it takes a double action, but we’ve got to be really careful.”

“Maybe the rule interpretation on what’s considered prior opportunity and fending and standing up in the tackle may need to change because players are ultimately taking them to ground to try and retard them with the ball,” St Kilda coach Ross Lyon said.

“Maybe that needs to be looked at.”

Garry Lyon said players and coaches needed to adjust their mindset that getting the handball away in a standing tackle wasn’t worse-case scenario.

“There will need to be a change. I’m of the opinion to stay up in the tackle,” he said on AFL 360.

“If people say, ‘well they get their hands free and get it off’ – well that’s a small price to pay a bloke getting a handball off as opposed to missing one or two weeks.”