Jeremy Cameron faces a long spell on the sidelines after a sickening hit on Brisbane defender Harris Andrews which has blighted Greater Western Sydney’s 27-point AFL victory at the Gabba.
The star Giants’ forward caught the Lions’ vice-captain flush in the jaw with a raised elbow as he attempted to spoil 11 minutes into Saturday’s first quarter.
Andrews appeared to be out cold before he hit the ground and was taken off on a medicab with a bleeding chin after a lengthy stoppage.
Cameron, who came in from behind and appeared to be no chance of winning the ball, stressed after the match he did not mean to hurt Andrews.
“It was unfortunate, the way it panned out. I just played the ball on its merits – I like hitting it nice and hard,” he said.
Both coaches were reluctant to discuss the incident in detail.
“He’s a bit sick and sorry. It was a big knock … (but) the judicial system will deal with that,” Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
Andrews, 21, was fortunate to escape serious injury, needing only four stitches to repair the damage and was apparently cracking jokes in the Brisbane rooms after regaining consciousness.
But his absence meant the Lions lost one of their most-important players for almost the entire match.
They were ahead on the scoreboard when he was felled but were outscored four goals to one for the rest of the quarter.
Two of them came from Cameron, who went on to kick his third goal after the halftime siren to give GWS a 24-point lead.
They were never in doubt from there despite a brave attempt at a comeback by a Luke Hodge-led Brisbane, who closed to within 15 points in the last quarter.
The Lions eventually fell 16.13 (109) to 12.10 (82) as the Giants recorded their seventh win of the season and third in a row.
Cameron was reported and looked set to be sent straight to the tribunal and hit with a lengthy ban.
He was roundly condemned on social media by AFL identities, including ex-Lions captain Tom Rockliff and former umpires boss Peter Schwab.
He was also vigorously booed by the 11,267-strong crowd every time he touched the ball.
Cameron’s poor disciplinary record won’t help his cause.
He has already been charged 10 times in his seven-year AFL career and suspended twice for a total of five weeks.
Martin
Roar Rookie
Larry, if players on the receiving end had a chance to watch the repay then they may well give a cold-shoulder to any forgiveness from the perpetrator. Many times victims of concussion just don't remember the incident.
Bead
Roar Rookie
Couldn't agree more Tim - Rugby League, Union, Soccer, Hockey and almost every other decent sport operate under a penalty card system - even Cricket has one now. It is used in Austrlian rules football leagues below the AFL so why is not good enough for the AFL? Penalty card systems are an insurance policy for gamesmanship, the AFL has no such guarantee. As soon as this incident happened, in fact while Harris Andrews was unconscious in mid-air it was clear he wouldn't play any further part in the game, it was also clear under the rules, the contact was high, it was late, it was high impact, it was reckless - Cameron will be cited and he will be suspended. If the rules state it, then why can't a game umpire or even a match committee official be given the same power to issue a red card on review of the evidence available during the 5-10 minutes it took to get Andews carted off? The AFL's tribunal system doesn't support the eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth principle. Instead of GWS being penalised in the game for at least equivalent of Brisbane's loss of Andrews - key position and one interchange rotation, Cameron plays the entire game, boots 3 goals and the AFL official stats credit him with one goal assist. In a game that yielded a result of less than 5 goal margin, one could argue Cameron's influence was significant. Brisbane could also be without Andrews in upcoming matches until he his medically cleared and as always the major beneficiaries are the clubs sheduled to play GWS during Cameron's suspension period. How long before we get a repeat of Alastair Lynch in his last game of football, throwing countless haymakers at Darryl Wakelin in 1st quarter the 2004 GF - probably one of most blatant exploitations of the absence of a penalty card system in sporting history. Have to wonder how many punches Lynch would have thrown that day if a red card actually penalised the team?
jaybuoy
Guest
Cameron should have just pulled up and said yours mate.. He might have done Andrews a favour by reminding him of where not to run next time..
Larry1950
Guest
Surely for a guy with form for that type of foul play Cameron has to get a 5 match suspension. Have had a gut full of these grubs who commit the foul & think it's all ok by going in & shaking their victims hand afterwards, can't wait for someone to actually say p*ss off to one of them instead of being gracious. The trouble with today's game is there's no availability for a dirty get square.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Yep. 5-7 weeks will be the result, I'd say 6 will be where it settles.
Birdman
Roar Rookie
Andrews going to hospital with bleeding on the brain will see Cameron's suspension edge up from 3 weeks to 5
Paul D
Roar Guru
What a silly comment, every other club had him at #1 too you were a Brownlow medallist at 18 playing against men im sure.
Raimond
Roar Guru
You big sook. Maybe you should direct some of your anger at the Lions recruiting department. Rayner at #1? Looks like VFL standard to me.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Both the Titans and Cowboys in the NRL pulled crowds of around 11,000 just a week or two ago.
timj
Guest
Maybe...there's been a few too many false dawns though. The big risk is that the results don't start coming and the kids want out to go somewhere successful or closer to home.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
I agree
Roger of Sydney
Guest
I think Brisbane are a better team than their results currently show. They will be better next year.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
t appears to me that at the last second he turned to attempt to mark/punch the ball with the flight of the ball, that IMO is lauded by some as courageous and others blind stupidity. Jonathon Brown made a habit of it and IMO blindly running with the flight of the ball is the height of stupidity and puts your own teammates at just as much risk of getting cleaned up as yourself. That said Cameron did not have to do what he did, but he should have made a cleaner attempt to contest of the ball. When you are backing back into a pack, that is precisely what you should do rather than turning front on into it.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He fully proteceted himself for a body collision. I doubt anyone has practised techniques to defend themselves against elbows. It's why Buddy should have got weeks. Letting Buddy off gave the signal that this was ok.
Aligee
Roar Rookie
If you start red carding players, you give to much power back to the umps, but at probably every other level of the game red carding is used. I can see both sides of the coin here, but red carding a player and later finding out he is innocent of the offense is just as bad. Having said that Cameron couldn't have got him any better if he tried, Harris should have protected himself better by not turning with the flight of the ball to open himself up IMO but Cameron did not go the ball. 6 weeks.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I imagine most people look like great minds to you if what you’ve written so far is any indicator of your intelligence
The Ball
Guest
No, But Matthew Bardsley is a great mind! Go Bend Banana!
Paul D
Roar Guru
Hey Matthew Bardsley. You’re back I see
The Ball
Guest
Lions, Bears it's all the same. Losers then and now. Perth is one of the true Cathedrals of the AFL! Unlike the Banana Bender rednecks in Queensland!! Merge the Lions and Suns and get rid of GWS. They are a blight on our great game!
Paul D
Roar Guru
I think at the very least if a player is reported and the player they hit takes no further part they have to do something where the player who took him out is pulled from the field for the rest of the game Matthew Lloyd pulled his infamous act of deliberate maiming back in 09 and the afl still sit on their hands