Toast Welcome to the Temple of Bontempelli, please take off your shoes and pay your respects

[Doggy Dan]

Don’t know if it was really that high clearly impact was to the neck not the head......not sure of the rule but pretty hard to argue it was low impact.

 

[Sentinel]

Stringer's late hit on Dunkley was worse and no one here was crying for a suspension.

Stringer's late hit also didn't put Dunkley out of action for up to a month.

Don't get me wrong, I'm obviously very happy Bont got off, but if the roles were reversed and one of our guys was injured from a similar late hit I'm certain we'd be calling for a suspension.

Don’t know if it was really that high clearly impact was to the neck not the head......not sure of the rule but pretty hard to argue it was low impact.

Was graded as careless, high contact, low impact. The impact grading was where we got lucky I think.

 

[Sentinel]

Bont still a Brownlow chance after quirk of MRO timing, GWS not happy

Superstar Bulldog would likely have faced a hefty suspension had the MRO known of Nick Haynes injury

www.afl.com.au

Very lucky.

 

[stefoid]

I posted recently that if you tag the Bont you go a very long way to beating our side. I no-longer believe this to be true. On the weekend the Giants with this in mid clearly went into the game by setting an underdone Matt De Boer to him and it only seemed to encourage him to flick the switch to a rarely used aggressive side of his game where he appeared determined to use his size to make a stark and brutally physical point. It was like he was sending a challenge to the competition as a whole 'to come at me bro.'

You earn a reputation for being someone who is susceptible to physical pressure ... or not.

 

[ExRoyboy]

It actually looked like he didn’t mean to hit him that hard. He was running at Haynes while he had the ball, trying to prevent an easy kick inboards, then nice Haynes kicked it he tries to pull up but his momentum plus Haynes forward momentum resulted in them hitting one another. Because Haynes has just kicked it, he was open down the front and not prepared for impact. Bont tries to stop but braces for impact, protecting himself as a result, and they collide. At the time I didn’t think it was high, but he seems to have accidentally got him in the throat.

Although the impact assessment has been lucky, I still think he would have been unlucky to have been suspended for that. He didn’t mean to bump in my view and even if this happened to one of our players I would still feel the same. Stringers hit on Dunkley was worse in my view, as was Robinson in Brisbane. But luckily they didn’t result in serious injury. This was a freak accident really.

 

[Unorth]

I think he was pretty lucky to escape with a fine in the end - certainly a case could have been argued that it was medium rather than low impact, given the injury to Haynes and the way the MRP usually operates on outcome rather than intent.

If that happened to one of our players I dare say we'd be crying out for a suspension.

Probably. Particularly if the fractured larynx thing is actually true (and assuming it didn't happen at some other point in the game when he was put back out there), there would be a fair few demanding blood if it happened to us.

But if there's one thing the AFL's consistent with (these days, Chris Grant incident notwithstanding) is looking after brownlow contenders and superstars in general.

In 2013 Jeremy Cameron didn't get suspended for ending JJ's season. That was Cameron running at full tilt from a mile away with no intention to ever actually go the ball or lay a tackle, and with JJ having his head exposed as he was getting the ball.

Or how Fyfe obviously tripped Koby Stevens the year he won the Brownlow but avoided suspension.

It's just a bit of that luck coming our way for once.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Probably. Particularly if the fractured larynx thing is actually true (and assuming it didn't happen at some other point in the game when he was put back out there), there would be a fair few demanding blood if it happened to us.

But if there's one thing the AFL's consistent with (these days, Chris Grant incident withstanding) is looking after brownlow contenders and superstars in general.

In 2013 Jeremy Cameron didn't get suspended for ending JJ's season. That was Cameron running at full tilt from a mile away with no intention to ever actually go the ball or lay a tackle, and with JJ having his head exposed as he was getting the ball.

Or how Fyfe obviously tripped Koby Stevens the year he won the Brownlow but avoided suspension.

It's just a bit of that luck coming our way for once.

It’s been reported on the AFL website so looks true.

Probably lucky he copped the fine before the diagnosis.

 

[Sentinel]

It actually looked like he didn’t mean to hit him that hard. He was running at Haynes while he had the ball, trying to prevent an easy kick inboards, then nice Haynes kicked it he tries to pull up but his momentum plus Haynes forward momentum resulted in them hitting one another. Because Haynes has just kicked it, he was open down the front and not prepared for impact. Bont tries to stop but braces for impact, protecting himself as a result, and they collide. At the time I didn’t think it was high, but he seems to have accidentally got him in the throat.

Although the impact assessment has been lucky, I still think he would have been unlucky to have been suspended for that. He didn’t mean to bump in my view and even if this happened to one of our players I would still feel the same. Stringers hit on Dunkley was worse in my view, as was Robinson in Brisbane. But luckily they didn’t result in serious injury. This was a freak accident really.

There isn't an argument as to whether he meant it or not though - the contact was graded as careless rather than intentional. Had it been assessed as intentional, even with low impact he would have copped a week.

You can argue whether the MRP's determination based on outcome over intent is correct, but given they do, by the letter of the law Bont should have gotten week/s (careless, high contact, at least medium impact).

 

[Arkangel]

There isn't an argument as to whether he meant it or not though - the contact was graded as careless rather than intentional. Had it been assessed as intentional, even with low impact he would have copped a week.

You can argue whether the MRP's determination based on outcome over intent is correct, but given they do, by the letter of the law Bont should have gotten week/s (careless, high contact, at least medium impact).

I don’t agree. The letter of the law involves using the available information to make a decision about impact. At the time the decision needed to be made, there was no information to suggest the impact was anything greater than low. If the information we have now had been available at the time of decision, sure, the impact would have been higher; but that’s not the letter of the law.

 

[Sentinel]

I don’t agree. The letter of the law involves using the available information to make a decision about impact. At the time the decision needed to be made, there was no information to suggest the impact was anything greater than low. If the information we have now had been available at the time of decision, sure, the impact would have been higher; but that’s not the letter of the law.

Usually that information is available by the time of the MRP ruling, and if it were he would have copped a suspension (ie by the letter of the law). We were lucky it wasnt and that the rules say it can't be overturned.

I'm not complaining though, after the Redpath suspension and things like the Chris Grant overruling, we were due.

 

[Sharpiesadog]

Jack Ziebell got nothing after he broke a few of Cloke's ribs with a late hit. Still annoys me and I am waiting for someone to nail him on the field. Don't see why Bont should have got anything for that either.

 

[ExRoyboy]

Jack Ziebell got nothing after he broke a few of Cloke's ribs with a late hit. Still annoys me and I am waiting for someone to nail him on the field. Don't see why Bont should have got anything for that either.

Yes I remember that. That was a much worse incident. Honestly I’m surprised that Bont even got a fine. It looked like a fairly low level collision. Obviously due to Bont’s height he has made contact with a very sensitive area on Haynes neck and this has led to the injury, but I would see players collide many times in a game with much more force than was involved in this one and it not result in a suspension or even a fine.

I feel sorry for Haynes who is a good player and shouldn’t be missing games at this time of year but neither should Bont. He wasn’t trying to lay a bump, he was contesting a player with the ball and realised at the last second that he was going to collide after he kicked it. He tried to stop but both of their forward momentum meant the collision was unavoidable. Definitely a down field free kick but anything else was an accident and while I know this doesn’t absolve a player of blame under the rules, I always hate it when accidental contact results in a suspension.

I’m glad it went our way for a change.

 

[Virgin Dog]

Stringer's late hit also didn't put Dunkley out of action for up to a month.

Don't get me wrong, I'm obviously very happy Bont got off, but if the roles were reversed and one of our guys was injured from a similar late hit I'm certain we'd be calling for a suspension.

Was graded as careless, high contact, low impact. The impact grading was where we got lucky I think.

That's fair, but look at it this way - what is the MRO supposed to do if GWS don't report any injury in time, the medical report from the game clears things up, and Haynes was fine to play out the game?

 

[dogspur]

When are the coaches votes out? Surely he has the award wrapped up by now?

 

[ossie_21]

When are the coaches votes out? Surely he has the award wrapped up by now?

Last 2 rounds announced the week after the last round, but considering he was in the team of the week etc, he must get at least 4 votes or more from Bevo & Cameron. Dunkley another 10 for sure, can't see him being lower than 4th best from both coaches

 

[Sentinel]

That's fair, but look at it this way - what is the MRO supposed to do if GWS don't report any injury in time, the medical report from the game clears things up, and Haynes was fine to play out the game?

They could only do exactly what they did. It was a strange quirk that the report came after the MRP ruling, so we were lucky

 

[AjsGuns]

He made the best 22 of the round, I didn't think he was in the best 5 players on the ground tbh - but I guess you never know. Reckon if he polls 2-3 votes against Adelaide he 100% wins. Just need Fyfe and Kelly to have quiet games. I reckon he would still be about 6-7 votes clear of the next best. Kelly or Fyfe would need a BOG and Bont to poll no votes I reckon if he was to lose.

 

[True Dog]

Need Bont to hurry up and win a brownlow or two so he can go on to break as many ribs/jaws/larynx as he needs too Love what I saw of his game on the weekend, didn't think he had many options available to avoid contact and if he really wanted to could have sent him into next week...

 

[ScragCity]

Let me put it this way: if Bont actually wanted to hurt someone he wouldn't still be breathing. Simple as that. He's got connections to the Mafia in Sicily.

 

[Dry Rot]

Let me put it this way: if Bont actually wanted to hurt someone he wouldn't still be breathing. Simple as that. He's got connections to the Mafia in Sicily.

I miss read that as the Bont having some connection to the Hawks player Sicily, and promptly spewed into my keyboard.

 

[the conch]

I think he was pretty lucky to escape with a fine in the end - certainly a case could have been argued that it was medium rather than low impact, given the injury to Haynes and the way the MRP usually operates on outcome rather than intent.

If that happened to one of our players I dare say we'd be crying out for a suspension.

Perhaps a player who wasn't top 5 in the Brownlow betting markets might not have been so lucky.

still wasn't as bad as the Ziebel hit on Travis Cloke. Really I think this should be taken out of the game

 

[Floridog]

I don't expect the MRP to ever figure out what medical science has known for years. There are some fairly serious injuries that can happen even with low impact. They usually require other factors to line up just so, but they do happen.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

I don't expect the MRP to ever figure out what medical science has known for years. There are some fairly serious injuries that can happen even with low impact. They usually require other factors to line up just so, but they do happen.

I think they're close to getting the balance right, because of course there are going to be low impact collisions in a game of AFL.

 

[Mantis Toboggan]

Whateley is on SEN doing his best to get Bontempelli banned. What a clown.

 

[MYOB]

Whateley is on SEN doing his best to get Bontempelli banned. What a clown.

To be honest, his argument is spot on.
Forgot whether you think it was a reportable offence or not. The MRO found that it was. For him then to not wait for the medical report, really is unacceptable.

If the shoe was on the other foot, we'd be wanting Gerard and a lot more in the media to take the AFL to task.