No case to answer

[Wood_Duck]

I thought that all head high contact whether accidental or not was to be looked at. If it was deemed as reckless the offender would have a case to answer. On this basis its unbelievable it wasnt looked at.

Between the umpiring this year and shyte like this from the MRP it all gets a little bit discouraging.

 

[Chillidog]

This was also discussed on Sports Tonight on 3AW.

All agreed with Mike that it should have gone up. More discussions around who it was and what would have happened if it was Soloman, Brown or maxwell.

 

[crowsup]

This was also discussed on Sports Tonight on 3AW.

All agreed with Mike that it should have gone up. More discussions around who it was and what would have happened if it was Soloman, Brown or maxwell.

I may have a persecution complex in believing that the Crows get a raw deal with the umpires as well as the tribunal, but it is hard not to when you consider the following:-
1) We get battered by the power two showdowns ago and nobody is suspended.
2) Porps gets his head smashed in, off play, and it is considered accidental and therefore not reportable.
3) Stevens gets kneed in the face so badly that he almost loses conciousness, and it is considered accidental and therefore not reportable.
4) The Crows just touch the opposition during play and give frees away.
5) Burton in going for the ball tries to bump the other player away but accidentally collects him in the jaw. The player gets up right away with no injury, Burton gets two weeks with a guilty plea.
Now, who can tell me that there is not one rule for the Crows and one other for the rest of the AFL teams?
All this has been in the last 1 1/2 seasons. It is very hard to believe that the Crows are such a dirty team to give that many frees away but still have fewer players reported, than most other teams.

 

[sbenno]

(thought it was a clumsy act but not malicious

Last year burton got a couple of games for a hip n shouder to someones head (I can't remember whos), which you would have to argue was clumsy, and not malicious


Point: the rules don't account for whether or not someone has malicious intent, simply whether or not their actions were negligent or reckless, which McPharlin certainly was.

 

[Wood_Duck]

This was also discussed on Sports Tonight on 3AW.

All agreed with Mike that it should have gone up. More discussions around who it was and what would have happened if it was Soloman, Brown or maxwell.

That is so true. Nick Maxwell, Dean Solomon or another higher profile player would definately have had a case to answer.

 

[Malibu#27]

All goes back to ****ing Port Adelaide forcing us to enter the competition early and not being able to do it on our own terms ensuring a fair deal for us and we continue to suffer to this day.

Mate - I agree that the no case to answer is staggring ... he could have run back, turned his back and attempted to mark ... but instead did something that was in no way a marking attempt and made head high contact. The AFL had stated numerous times contact to the head will not be tolerated - we have felt that at the tribunal several times.

However - trying to suggest that port forcing you into the AFL is the reason that a Fremantle player wasnt charged is one of the most ludicrous statements I have ever read. Your not the only club that cops the rough end of the AFL lettuce - basically every non Eastern state club has copped the rough end of the AFL since their inception.

 

[ruscy002]

This incident deserved a 3-4 game suspension, under this tribunal system or the old one. Begs the question...to whom are the match review panel directly accountable? They won't be happy.

The AFL have become so paranoid about sanitising the game, particularly for the purpose of encouraging younger kids to participate and keeping their mothers happy. Consider the visual impact of this incident - very forceful hit, player knock out, stretcher, blood, commentator speculation of the extent of the injury etc. Doesn't look good, but the message it sends to those mothers is that this could happen to your kid, and it's perfectly acceptable within the laws of this great game...just make sure they don't touch the umpires, k?

We won't hear about it, but I have no doubt the MRP will be served with a "Please explain...what the **** were you thinking?" over this one. That'll mean that the next time there's an incident like this, there'll be a tonne of shit flung when a 4+ match suspension is handend out. God forbid it's a Collingwood player or we'll never hear the end of it...