Greater Western Sydney’s gun forward Jeremy Cameron remains eligible for the prestigious Rising Star Award after beating a striking charge at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.
However the news wasn’t so good for West Coast who host Sydney in Sunday’s top-of-the-table round-16 clash.
Luke Shuey, who had been offered a two-match suspension with an early guilty plea, chose to contest a charge of striking North Melbourne’s Lindsay Thomas to the groin during Saturday’s match in Hobart.
Shuey was risking a three-game ban by challenging the case and was found guilty, although his suspension was reduced to two matches because the tribunal found the blow was to the body of Thomas and not the groin.
West Coast key forward Quinten Lynch failed to beat a charge of tripping North’s Shaun Atley and his one-match ban was upheld.
Thomas had been standing over Shuey after the Eagles’ player was awarded a free kick.
Player advocate David Grace said Thomas had feigned a groin injury in an attempt to milk a free kick and had made an amazing recovery by running off at full pace in another piece of play just 10 seconds later.
Grace showed another incident from the game which he claimed showed Thomas feigning injury a second time.
“That’s form on the part of Thomas that you can take into account,” Grace said.
Shuey said he simply tried to push Thomas away and get the ball out to teammate Daniel Kerr.
“I certainly made contact with his quad and my shoulder into his stomach,” Shuey said.
The tribunal’s verdict on Shuey’s case was delayed by video-link dramas and was delivered by phone.
In his phone evidence from Perth, Lynch denied an intentional trip and said he was opening his stance so he could run to the ball.
“It may look very clumsy to some people but that’s me – not the smoothest mover,” the 192cm 103kg Lynch said.
Cameron was charged with striking Hawthorn’s Clinton Young during a marking contest on the wing in Sunday’s round-15 game at the MCG.
The 19-year-old had been facing a one-match ban which would have ruled him out of calculations for the Rising Star Award which has been claimed by Brownlow Medallists Nathan Buckley, Ben Cousins and Adam Goodes and other stars such as Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell, Richmond’s Brett Deledio and Geelong skipper Joel Selwood.
Young had tapped the ball over the boundary line after running back with the flight of the ball and Cameron arrived late and lunged at Young, with his left wrist making contact with Young’s head as the Hawthorn player slumped to the ground.
However, Young wasn’t badly hurt and was okay to take his kick.
“My arm was limp. My hand was open the whole time,” Cameron told the tribunal.
“I didn’t realise my arm was going to hit him in the head. It happened so quickly.”
A relieved Cameron said the Rising Star Award wasn’t his main focus in challenging the ban.
“Not really – I’m just really happy with the outcome,” Cameron said.
Strummer Jones
Guest
Maybe Clinton should be done for faking. It looks like a 'slap' at best from this angle, but his hand clearly pulls away and 'rests' on Young's shoulder as he finishes through. If you read the transcript of the case, it is pretty much doubted he was striking with purpose. Footage is here. I think they made the right decision, but you decide: http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/140835/default.aspx
Aware
Guest
The AFL is corrupt. Pure and simple...or, at best, unprofessional in the extreme.
Macca
Guest
Greene pled guilty, not much the tribunal can do about that. And as I said with one already gone did they really want to lose another? And yep Wellingham got 2 weeks off for good behavious and pleading guilty but if they had of charged him properly in the first place ie intentional instead of reckless, he would of got much more. And regardless of the way in which we got there how many weeks does he miss? how many carry over points does he have? I don't care how many offences you have committed previously 3 weeks simply isn't long enough for that act.
Macca
Guest
No Maxwell just told all his friends and family that he was going to be playing in the forward line and they decided to go and have a bet all by themselves. And Shaw is far from an innocent. Nope I don't think they thought that but the media strategy has a big impact on the MRP, they react to it all the time. Generally bloke slike Mark Robinson and Damian Barrett sit on the Sunday footy shows and make minor things into massive incidents and put pressure on the MRP, this week that pressure was completely absent and sudden;y the MRP find something that even Weelingham admitted was intentional ("I didn't mean to hurt him THAT MUCH") as reckless when at no stage did he even attempt to take the mark or spoil.
Cameron
Guest
Wellingham would have got 5 weeks but his good record reduced it to 3 weeks. Besides, what I was alluding to was my assertion that you think the MRP has no integrity because you think it plays favourites with GWS because the AFL wants a GWS player to win the rising star for publicity purposes, and as I pointed out the fact that the favourite in many people's eyes, Toby Greene of GWS, has alrady been suspended severly weakens that theory, because why would'nt they want as many GWS players as possible eligable for the award? esp the frontrunner!
GCS
Guest
The Shaw incident might be different, but the bloke still got 8 weeks. Nick Maxwell got a $10k fine as well and the poor bloke didn't even have a bet or encourage anyone to bet. Collingwood might have a lot of media clout, but what has that got to do with the MRP? Do you think they sat around saying "gee Sharrod seemed like a top bloke on GameDay, let's go easy on him". I hate Collingwood as much as anyone, but don't think there is any substance to this.
Macca
Guest
Does anyone think it does? Look at 2 decisions from the weekend - Wellingham and Matt White from Richmond, White barely touched his opponent and from the vision I saw hit him more in the shoulder than anything and get's three weeks, Wellingham intentional knocks a bloke unconcious and breaks his jaw after jumping after he had dropped the shoulder and get 3 weeks.
Cameron
Guest
Macca What you are really trying to say is you think the Match review panel has no integrity, right? Besides, if you you really think that the MRP are just puppets for the GWS and AFL marketing departments, then why would'nt they want to keep their options open by not suspending Greene?
Macca
Guest
Oh well if "StevenwellerHFC Active Member hawthorn" said so then it must be true! How is old Karmichael going these days anyway Ian - racking up those double figure possession tallies is he? Revolutionising the game with his bump? And how about those "soft" blues? Or what of Carrazzo's form - he only managed 28 while shutting down Beams on Friday- maybe we should dump him for Hunt?
Macca
Guest
True but then wouldn't the AFL prefer Talia to win by beating Cameron, not by default, even if it is only perceived.
Macca
Guest
Shaw got 8 for gambling - completely different. And if it wasn't Wellingham being a Collingwood player why was it? Look at the actions Collingwood took after the Wellingham incident, Buckley went on radio saying how out of character it was and that it was "clumsy" (it was in fact the exact opposite a very clean hit)then they had both Maxwell and Wellingham on Game Day on Sunday. By the time the MRP met the medai had by in large bought the Collingwood line. You could say any club can do this but you only have to look at how much content is Collingwood based in the Herald Sun and add on Maguire being a media personality to see they have more clout in this area than anybody else. Being brownlow medalist is vey different from being odds on to win the thing late in the year
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
This is what a self-identified Hawthorn supporter said about it over on BF StevenwellerHFC Active Member hawthorn "I didn't think there was much in it, BS he was reported, should have just been a free kick. " Im not surprised Macca is having a whinge about it though.
GCS
Guest
Well they are saying that Adelaide's Daniel Talia would be a worthy winner, so don't assume that Cameron is a shoe-in.
GCS
Guest
I think Wellingham has been lucky, but don't subscribe to the theory that it is because he is a Collingwood player. Being a Collingwood player didn't help Heath Shaw last year from getting an 8 match ban. Judd did get a 3 match ban for the infamous 'pressure point' incident a few years back, and being a Brownlow medalist didn't help Jimmy Bartel this week either
Macca
Guest
Collingwood for a start. Look at wellngham this week, what everyone knew was intentional somehow got downgraded to Reckless. And it isn't the unblemished record as that gets taken into account automatically and only after a charge has been laid, it's the profile or the chance of winning a brownlow that results in charges not being laid in the first place. Judd got off a fairly compelling case a few years back with Campbell brown I think and again against Pavlich. Karmichael Hunt was very lucky last year.
Macca
Guest
Not at all Cameron, firstly there is only so much that can be done, ie they can't be too blatant and second the fact that 1 Rising star had already been disqualified did they really want another? The AFL wouldn't want a situation where the winner was really the 4th or 5th place getter but the rest were suspended.
Cameron
Guest
Macca Toby Greene of GWS would probably have won this year's rising star had he not already have been suspended, so there's your theory blown right there mate.
GCS
Guest
Do you really think others have been done for less? Of the top of my head, I can't really think of any other incidents similar to that. Who you are might come into it if you have an unblemished record, but I don't think who you play for or what awards are at stake comes into it. When you say 'who you play for', which teams are you alluding to?
Nathan of Perth
Guest
But precedent doesn't. Situation is bunk.
Macca
Guest
Others have been done for less and it wouldn't be the first time the tribunal/MRP was swayed. Who you are, who you play for and what awards are up for grabs all come in to it.