MRP / Trib. Alwyn Davey's hit on Montagna not forceful enough to sanction

[Kildonan]

"Contact between Essendon's Alwyn Davey and St Kilda's Leigh Montagna from the fourth quarter of Sunday's match was assessed. Montagna had taken possession of the ball and handballed. Just as he disposed of the ball, Davey jumped to bump the St Kilda player. Contact was made to Montagna's left arm, which ricocheted upwards and hit him on the right side of the face, causing injury. Davey subsequently made minor contact to the left side of Montagna’s face. It was the view of the panel that no forceful high contact was made by Davey to Montagna. No further action was taken."

Other news:
"Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda, has been charged with a first offence for wrestling Cale Hooker, Essendon, during the fourth quarter of the Round Three match between St Kilda and Essendon, played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday April 10, 2011.

In summary, he can accept a $900 sanction with an early plea.

A first offence for wrestling is a $1200 sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to a $900 sanction.

Cale Hooker, Essendon, has been charged with a first offence for wrestling Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda, during the fourth quarter of the Round Three match between Essendon and St Kilda, played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday April 10, 2011.

In summary, he can accept a $900 sanction with an early plea.

A first offence for wrestling is a $1200 sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to a $900 sanction."

 

[SA1NTER]

Hooker got $900 on the early plea.

Riewoldt got $1200.

And Joey was pretty unlucky since he basically punched himself in the face.

 

[StFly]

Money well spent considering Chips score dhis goal from the wrestling match on the HFF through us switching play to space and running.

If only we went the biffo to start....

 

[Flyingsaint]

Hooker got $900 on the early plea.

Riewoldt got $1200.

And Joey was pretty unlucky since he basically punched himself in the face.

Both Players can get reduction to $900 on early plea.

 

[OhMyGoddard]

Davey was the lucky one - if Joey's arm wasn't blocking it, Davey's 'bump' that clearly left the ground would have made head contact.

The fact that Joey's injury was caused by his own arm is a technicality that gets Davey off the hook.

 

[Half Back Pocket]

Davey was the lucky one - if Joey's arm wasn't blocking it, Davey's 'bump' that clearly left the ground would have made head contact.

The fact that Joey's injury was caused by his own arm is a technicality that gets Davey off the hook.

hmmmm...if Joey suffers a broken jaw, and misses 10 weeks of football, is it his own fault? And would Davey then have a case to answer? The fact that Davey is the one who initiated the contact which lead to the injury should be the primary factor in determining if he had a case to answer. (I didn't see the game/incident, so won't comment on this particular case)

Imagine the big schoolyard bully in the under 15's picking up a smaller kid and using him as a weapon to bludgeon a raft of smaller kids (think Nelson in the Simpsons!!)...no case to answer?

 

[StFly]

hmmmm...if Joey suffers a broken jaw, and misses 10 weeks of football, is it his own fault? And would Davey then have a case to answer? The fact that Davey is the one who initiated the contact which lead to the injury should be the primary factor in determining if he had a case to answer. (I didn't see the game/incident, so won't comment on this particular case)

Imagine the big schoolyard bully in the under 15's picking up a smaller kid and using him as a weapon to bludgeon a raft of smaller kids (think Nelson in the Simpsons!!)...no case to answer?

There's a convention with tackles & bumping that the player which initiated contact can be cited on injury which results from the action, this is chiefly why the "chicken wing" tackle was banned since it was an otherwise perfect tackle if not for the whole end point where the players head rammed into the turf because one hand had the ball and the other hand was pinned. As such, the tackler then was reported in part because of the damage to the head as a result of the initiated contact (the tackle) as opposed to the "legitimacy" of actually tackling someone.

so chances are if Alwyn Daveys bump did end up knocking Joeys fist into his jaw with sufficient force to break bones Davey would be cited and probably get off on appeal if they had snazzy rep to argue that Joey meant to hit himself to cause a free or something.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

I reckon we get Baker to test out the "Stop Hitting Yourself" loophole.

Get him to grab his opponents arm and then force them to hit themselves repeatedly in face.

 

[Dave]

There's a convention with tackles & bumping that the player which initiated contact can be cited on injury which results from the action,

Not sure this is totally true, otherwise a legitimate bump that results in a player falling over and say breaking a collarbone (this happened to my son so I know it can occur) would result in a charge.

That said, Montagna was stiff and Davey very lucky. As noted elsewhere, had Montagna's arm not been the way Davey would have hit him high.

 

[StFly]

Not sure this is totally true, otherwise a legitimate bump that results in a player falling over and say breaking a collarbone (this happened to my son so I know it can occur) would result in a charge.

It's under the impact clause with the tribunal (I have the '09 version on hand atm);

In determining the level of impact regard shall be had not only to the impact between the offending player and the victim player, but also any other impact to the victim player as a result of such impact. By way of example, where a victim player as s result of the impact from the offending player is pushed into the path of a fast-moving third player, the impact to the victim player may be classified as high or severe, even though the level of impact between the offending player and victim player was only low or medium.

Of course they may have rewritten it since '09, but under that interpretation, since it was cited for the MRP before being thrown out, in the event that Davey (offending player) impacted Montagna (victim player) and the result was that the level of impact was insufficient, but that due to his impact Montagna suffered a broken jaw, Davey's impact would been marked as high or severe simply on the basis that he sustained a broken jaw.

So it entirely depends on firstly if the impact is a possible reportable offense (goes without saying really) as to if the injury plays a part in how it's graded. For mine, this is probably why Judd got off the eye gouging despite all the evidence to the contrary, and why that back kick to the nuts (I forget those involved) wasn't marked either, it'd be a different circumstance (considering the testicles are deemed as sacrosanct as the head with grading) if say Judd came out with an eyeball on his finger or a player coughed up a nut. Simply because there'd be sustained injury.

But yeah, I was only remarking since it was already assessed and the question was posed as a "what if..." by the law the MRP would have to grade it as high or severe and on appeal the argument may be that since he effectively punched himself (hypothetical here) that the initial impact grading assumes the victim player is not an offending player on himself or some such. So yeah in a nutshell, legitimate injury via legitimate impact is legitimate.