Groundfighting and Strikes usable only at close range

I was reading the long debate about Groundfighting vs DotB and started to wonder how the rules would apply in the following situation:

- Anarch Saulot is in combat with an Assamite
- Assamite plays Selective Silence and sets range to long
- Saulot has Groundfighting and Anesthetic Touch in hand

Can Saulot play Groundfighting to cancel the Selective Silence?

Name: Groundfighting
[KMW:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Requires a ready anarch. Do not replace until after combat.
Maneuver or press or burn 1 blood to cancel a combat card played by the opposing minion that would restrict this anarch's choice of strikes this round as it is played.
Artist: Chris Richards

Name: Selective Silence
[KMW:C, LotN:PA4]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Quietus
Only usable on the first round of combat.
[qui] Maneuver.
[QUI] Only usable before range is determined. This vampire burns 1 blood to set the range for this round. Skip the determine range step this round.
Artist: Jeff Holt

Name: Anesthetic Touch
[BL:C1, LoB:C]
Cardtype: Combat
Discipline: Obeah/Auspex
Only usable at close range.
[aus] Strike: dodge.
[obe] Strike: hand strike. Combat ends immediately after the resolution of this strike.
[OBE] As [obe] above, with first strike.
Artist: Mark Nelson

Selective silence is explicitly mentioned in the rulings for groundfighting:

Card wrote:

Cannot cancel maneuvering, setting range, burning blood, Scorpion Sting (or other "cannot be dodged" strikes, since the opposing minion is still free to attempt to dodge), Weakness, destroy/steal equipment/weapon effects, Withering, Fata Amria

The "only usable at close range strike" was discussed when the rulings was originally made. The links on the rulings page don't work for me, so to follow the discussion around the rulings and the justification for why things work this way see
LSJ here and here and the surrounding discussion.