Merrett on report

[knaf]

I have been a supporter of Rog. Only saw the last quarter today. I thought the incident was very poor. He was late at the contest and could have changed his action. Let himself and the club down. And not the first time. The fact that he has been a great club man is irrelevant. Not the sort of act I want to see from a Brisbane player.

Rog have a good hard look at yourself.

As to comments above regarding being critical - the roster watch thread records the players career. This is a critical time in Roger's career and fair enough that when our grand children read this that they see "he let himself down and the club". Up to Roger to write the final chapter

 

[Ironmonger]

As to comments above regarding being critical - the roster watch thread records the players career. This is a critical time in Roger's career and fair enough that when our grand children read this that they see "he let himself down and the club". Up to Roger to write the final chapter

You expect your grand children to be trawling through old big footy roster watch threads?

 

[T Rick]

Time for Merrett to retire. Disgusting performance today. At what point do people run out of excuses for his poor form? Two disposals in the first half, ten for the game for a return of a solitary goal at full forward and then there is the damaging hit on Cam Pedersen. http://www.afl.com.au/video/2014-08-03/merrett-reported-for-headhigh-hit

His head high hit on a player who had marked the ball and was was completely open was not only pathetic, it once again demonstrated his lack of discipline and the distance between what he should be contributing to our club as a senior player and what he actually delivers.

In over 45 years of closely following VFL / AFL football I never thought I would say this about a FITZROY or Brisbane player, but I really do hope the match review panel throws the book at him.

Jeez, I am glad Merrett is one of ours and you are not upset. Give me a break, he was late and will cop his fair whack at the MRP but this is OTT...

 

[Last of the Roys]

I have been a supporter of Rog. Only saw the last quarter today. I thought the incident was very poor. He was late at the contest and could have changed his action. Let himself and the club down. And not the first time. The fact that he has been a great club man is irrelevant. Not the sort of act I want to see from a Brisbane player.

Rog have a good hard look at yourself.

As to comments above regarding being critical - the roster watch thread records the players career. This is a critical time in Roger's career and fair enough that when our grand children read this that they see "he let himself down and the club". Up to Roger to write the final chapter

Really???

I have been saying myself that Merrett has been playing shocking lately. His first 3 quarters today were also pretty woeful. I am not sure what it is - he seems a little disinterested at times.

But his last quarter today was great - his slightly late hit actually sparked a huge turnaround by the team and a big improvement in his own form. Hopefully it will be ongoing but who knows.

There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yeah he hasn't been playing well, but tall / big 170 game key position players don't exactly grow on trees.

As for the hit - it could get 1-2 weeks or it could get nothing. He actually punched the ball at the same time his forearm hit the guys nose - I definitely would have been more upset if Merrett hand't tried to spoil. It was just an accident - that happens when you play a contact game.

 

[blynd_freddie]

And in this instance, does not take his eyes off the ball.

 

[John]

And in this instance, does not take his eyes off the ball.

Indeed. In another era would not have had a case to answer.

 

[Mooch]

And in this instance, does not take his eyes off the ball.

I said that in the game thread. Who knows with the MRP? This could get thrown out. Having said that, they usually ignore everything except the medical advice and a broken nose might say three weeks.

 

[Happy_Neale]

SMH at some of the comments here...fair dinkum.

 

[knaf]

Really???

I have been saying myself that Merrett has been playing shocking lately. His first 3 quarters today were also pretty woeful. I am not sure what it is - he seems a little disinterested at times.

But his last quarter today was great - his slightly late hit actually sparked a huge turnaround by the team and a big improvement in his own form. Hopefully it will be ongoing but who knows.

There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yeah he hasn't been playing well, but tall / big 170 game key position players don't exactly grow on trees.

As for the hit - it could get 1-2 weeks or it could get nothing. He actually punched the ball at the same time his forearm hit the guys nose - I definitely would have been more upset if Merrett hand't tried to spoil. It was just an accident - that happens when you play a contact game.

Not sure we viewed the same incident. I thought it was clearly late.

Indeed. In another era would not have had a case to answer.

In this era, late punches to the head are dealt with harshly by the tribunal. All the evidence of brain damage to past players support this stance. Roger is a professional and should know the situation.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Not sure we viewed the same incident. I thought it was clearly late.


In this era, late punches to the head are dealt with harshly by the tribunal. All the evidence of brain damage to past players support this stance. Roger is a professional and should know the situation.

Interested to see what happens with this. To my recollection, his fist impacted the ball and it was his elbow which struck the face of the Melbourne player.

 

[Slax]

In this era, late punches to the head are dealt with harshly by the tribunal. All the evidence of brain damage to past players support this stance. Roger is a professional and should know the situation.

Maybe, but when it is questionable if Daniel doesn't have brain damage himself. If he does it would help explain his kicking skills at least.

Actually thought it was funny that after he was reported his game improved enormously.

 

[Caiphus]

I think the replay exonerates him personally. Eyes for the ball and he gets it with incidental contact that causes some damage. It's accidental in my eyes rather than careless, reckless or negligent.

His timing has been off all season and it has boiled over to cause even less continuity in his footy due to frustration at his output post recovery from a pretty serious injury. It's too easy to write him off when we have been so short on whipping boy candidates for the year but I'm bullish he can return to form in the future - especially after a full pre-season.

 

[dlanod]

There was a later one that I thought he'd be in more trouble for rather than the one he got reported - jumped after the mark was taken and clothes hangered the guy. I think the replays of the earlier one showed incidental contact, but the MRP is as likely to jump on it as anything else.

 

[blynd_freddie]

I said that in the game thread. Who knows with the MRP? This could get thrown out. Having said that, they usually ignore everything except the medical advice and a broken nose might say three weeks.

Yep with you all the way here Mooch – questions the MRP needs to consider IMO would be,

• Is the contact deemed to be coincidental, realistic, where the player’s prime objective is the ball.
• With the footage showing Merrett keeping his eyes totally fixed on the ball it should be harder to prove INTENT.
• Merrett also seems to act remorsefully after the event – with no signs of any ongoing anger or malice.
• The questionable against is - attacking the ball/player from the front – is this a contest of the ball or a negligent action?

Personally I think he should be cleared – cynically, I think they will reflect on his ‘previous incident’ and it’s generally considered ‘light’ sentence and give him three.
Who frig’n knows with MRP – list the incidents/sentencing or indeed the non-sentencing from this year, (go find them yourself, it’s not that hard) and the words incongruous and contradictory come to mind!

 

[Kevvo]

I think Merrett's recent reputation will count against him, but I thought the nose-breaker was careless. For me, maybe a week or two would be fair. As a few posters have pointed out, he was definitely watching the ball. I do think he is getting involved in these situations too often, but I get the feeling it is probably frustration and a refusal to accept he has lost a yard of closing speed more than it is malice.

I also saw the coathanger dlanod mentioned and thought that had the potential to go far worse, but he sort of pulled out in the end and the overall impact (on Jetta I think) wasn't too forceful from memory.

 

[John_Proctor]

I think he'll go but I don't think he should.

he wasn't that late and pederson probably held the mark for a shorter period of time than another Melbourne player did on the goalline later in the last quarter only to not be paid the mark and leading to one of our goals (maybe Taylors?)

his arm was out straight as a normal spoiling motion not a swinging arm, his fist got the ball and his elbow trailing through collected the head.

quite incidental contact to the head but becuase it was head high contact he'll go.

fwiw I thought his first half yesterday was one of the poorest by a near 200 gamer and club leader I've seen. He had maybe 2 possessions don't recall a mark, I think 1 tackle and just generally wasn't influencing contests either in the air on on the ground. absolutely woeful. he took a couple of cheap marks late in the third on the wing when pederson was sagging off him and that gave him a bit of confidence to finish off better. To me he looked unfit (not 'injured' just unfit) and just couldn't (or wouldn't) have repeat efforts when the ball was nearby.

whether the Pederson spoil 'fired us up and changed the contest' I'm not so sure. we'd been dominating for 5 minutes already at that point and it just happened that dominance turned to goals soon afterwards. IMO it was no more or less important than any other moment.

 

[maroon and blue]

It's football, you play hard, take the whacks and give them. So what.

 

[karix]

I have been a supporter of Rog. Only saw the last quarter today. I thought the incident was very poor. He was late at the contest and could have changed his action. Let himself and the club down. And not the first time. The fact that he has been a great club man is irrelevant. Not the sort of act I want to see from a Brisbane player.

Rog have a good hard look at yourself.

As to comments above regarding being critical - the roster watch thread records the players career. This is a critical time in Roger's career and fair enough that when our grand children read this that they see "he let himself down and the club". Up to Roger to write the final chapter

Not sure we viewed the same incident. I thought it was clearly late.


In this era, late punches to the head are dealt with harshly by the tribunal. All the evidence of brain damage to past players support this stance. Roger is a professional and should know the situation.

Can't agree with any of what you've said here knaf.

If you get to a contest and punch the ball out of your opponents hand as he is taking the mark, that isn't late by anyone's definition. Also, if you have eyes only for the ball AND make contact with the ball, that isn't "very poor" that is exactly what you're meant to do: Will yourself to the contest; have eyes for the ball; and make the contest. He didn't punch his opponent in the head at all, the momentum of his jump and the extension of his arm meant that the arm collided with the head after effecting the spoil, completely accidental/incidental.

Not sure what you expect him to do about the laws of physics? Or would you prefer he not make the contest at all? Pull out 2m before he gets there in case he might hurt his opponent while making a fair contest? It's a contact sport. People will get knocked around, you just don't want to see malicious or dangerous play, and I don't think this was either of those.

As far as his leadership and sportsmanship he was very contrite. He went over and apologised immediately and in the post game footage he sought his opponent out and apologised again.

 

[Dom PC]

50 meter penalty fits the crime IMO.

 

[Skoob]

Unfortunately, this is Brisbane and Merrett we're talking about. As has been said, "who knows" with the MRP.
There have been a few reckless or negligent high contacts thrown out this year, when they should have been cited, but Merrett is not Adam Goodes. The same rules that saw Rockliff suspended for his bump on Mitchell will likely apply here.
I think it was a tad late and a tad reckless and his bad record will get him, but I have seen worse go unpunished. One can easily argue the contact was incidental. Let the roulette wheel spin.

 

[Back2Back2Back]

It was worth a 50, but I think the fact he split the bloke's nose open probably won't help him. That and it's Brisbane, so MRP love Brisbane for some stupid reason. I'm expecting 2 with early plea given history.

I reckon he's been told he has to use his size to crash packs and is just trying to push this whenever he gets the chance. I wouldn't have thought this was a brain fart or anything anger related, he was pretty cool on that count yesterday from what it looked like.

 

[knaf]

Can't agree with any of what you've said here knaf.

If you get to a contest and punch the ball out of your opponents hand as he is taking the mark, that isn't late by anyone's definition. Also, if you have eyes only for the ball AND make contact with the ball, that isn't "very poor" that is exactly what you're meant to do: Will yourself to the contest; have eyes for the ball; and make the contest. He didn't punch his opponent in the head at all, the momentum of his jump and the extension of his arm meant that the arm collided with the head after effecting the spoil, completely accidental/incidental.

Not sure what you expect him to do about the laws of physics? Or would you prefer he not make the contest at all? Pull out 2m before he gets there in case he might hurt his opponent while making a fair contest? It's a contact sport. People will get knocked around, you just don't want to see malicious or dangerous play, and I don't think this was either of those.

As far as his leadership and sportsmanship he was very contrite. He went over and apologised immediately and in the post game footage he sought his opponent out and apologised again.

I saw it differently, but I appreciate your thoughtful and detailed reply.

 

[josephs_79]

I was at the game on the wing looking directly from behind this and first initial thought was "Geeeeez that was realllllly late" with a wince when watching it live. It didn't look good live, it didn't look good on the replay on the AFL Website then. He takes off late and he is late getting to the contest.

He has history, he had 1 (or 2?) other incidents in the same fashion in the same game, while slightly late they were within reason but nothing as late as that one he got reported for. His record will not be good for him and think he will get 2 - 4 weeks for it.

I can't see how some of you think it was ok or not late or so on. Eyes were mostly at the ball, he did look to see where Pederson was in the replay above you can see he looks at Pederson but keeps going. Fair enough everyone has their own opinion but can't see some of the justification above

 

[Mooch]

Just watching Ed and Derm (don't judge me) and they reckon he'll get 4 weeks. They reckon that even though he had eyes on the ball and even though he probably made contact with the ball first, he 'made the choice' to make contact with the head and therefore it will be reckless, high and high impact.

4 for that would be excessive for mine.

 

[James North]

I think it looked a bit late and the broken nose wasn't a good look, but he was genuinely going for the ball.

He'll probably get 3 or something ... but it could've ended up pretty innocuous (maybe just a 50) with about a 1cm different in where his fist went.

Tough to call, but he's doing a job he's been asked to do - be intimidating.