The Richmond Tigers have lost Dustin Martin for the next two weeks after AFL Match Review Officer Michael Christian announced the 2017 Brownlow Medallist had been offered a two-game suspension for elbowing Adam Kennedy off the ball in Saturday’s match against Greater Western Sydney at Giants Stadium.
In explaining the suspension, the AFL said the incident was assessed as intentional conduct with medium impact and high contact, warranting the two-game ban.
Martin was also fined $1500 for striking GWS tagger Matt de Boer but – so far – has not been handed a penalty of any kind for the controversial gestures he made during the game. He could yet face punishment for those incidents. Similar behaviour has previously seen the AFL give him a suspended $2000 fine for gesturing in September 2013.
If Martin accepts his sanction for the elbow on Kennedy, the suspension will see him miss matches against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval next week and then the Sydney Swans at Marvel Stadium in Round 5, potentially leaving the Tigers to field a team without any of their ‘fab four’.
Key bookends Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt are both certain to be unavailable, Rance on the sidelines for the rest of the year due to an ACL injury suffered against Carlton in Round 1, and Riewoldt expected to miss at least three more weeks with a broken wrist.
What’s unclear for the moment is whether or not they’ll have the services of premiership skipper Trent Cotchin after he suffered a hamstring injury during the second quarter of Saturday’s 49-point loss to GWS. Cotchin didn’t return to the field in the second half.
The loss left the Tigers at a 1-2 record after three rounds and they’ll have fears that could blow out to 1-4 if their four biggest stars are all forced to watch from the stands, potentially derailing their hopes of securing a second premiership in three years.
Port Adelaide players Scott Lycett and Zak Butters were given financial penalties for incidents in the Power’s 16-point loss to the Brisbane Lions. No other players were fined or banned for any other incidents arising from Round 3.
Peter Warrington
Guest
(you could go see my praise for Collingwood after round 2...)
RT
Roar Rookie
The season's far from derailed in my opinion. Anyway they've lost a lot more than one key defender to injury this season. Time will tell I guess.
Peter Warrington
Guest
And or take on the press. With Towna our and Conca gone and Graham in awful form, our tacklers are few and far between Also our disposal is dire. Was never great but is really exacerbated by the rules and the lack of pressure, and that’s where the Rance/Riewoldt loss impact is, providing at least a floor under attack and defence efficiency
Peter Warrington
Guest
I have 6 and I didn’t think we would win another. I also knew deep down us going back to back would be a historical travesty. We weren’t that good A first and a third after all the finals finishes from 13-15 is pretty sustaining Happy to see a team like the Lions go on the journey And it’s a dual Ashes year..
Cat
Roar Guru
I still don't think the Tigers issues are all down to injury. I haven't seen any changes to their game plan from last year that indicates they've made successful adjustments for the rule changes. Tigers relied on pressing hard and deep and locking the ball in F50, the rules changes mean its easy to just kick over that press.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Well it is funny that the best players are the ones we all claim have massive egos. Just waiting for De Goey to get to a level where everyone hates him and claims he loves himself.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Just out of interest Peter, how come you don't care about waiting 30 years for another flag? I want as many as I can see in my lifetime at the Pies and I'm hoping 2018 wasn't the only chance that went begging.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
A similar dilemma awaits the Pies next off season. if players like Brayden Sier, Callum Brown, Max Lynch, Ben Crocker, Flynn Appleby, Nathan Murphy, Jack Madgen and Rupert Wills don't get a look in this season, they will be off and you can't blame them. You have to strike while the iron is hot and the Tigers did in 2017, the Pies haven't yet.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Don't get me wrong Richie. I would have loved Lynch playing forward for the Pies against the Eagles and I'm still probably a bit sour he rejected the Pies. He reminds me of Sav Rocca in what I've seen in that he takes a great grab and is a lovely kick. To be fair I didnt watch him much at the Suns. It's more I'm a huge Jack fan and love the way he plays.
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
Peter makes a solid point. It was nowhere near the best of the Tigers GWS beat. Who knows Rance may still be back for finals. Goldsack made it last year. Jack is so good and makes a huge difference and will be back before long.
Raimond
Roar Guru
The players they cut were very much on the fringe. They can't replace Rance, but they still have Lynch. You can't be lauded for your depth when losing one defender derails your season.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Had to be at least two weeks - it is a cheap shot way off the all and the AFL should be rubbing this garbage out of the game.
Dean
Guest
Yeah it's just a test that the tigers are facing atm. They can easily turn it around, the next tier of players just need to step up. I do agree with you that we shouldn't be talking up the Giants just yet. I am a Hawthorn supporter and l believe the Hawks win against North says more about where North is at rather than the Hawks who are missing some key personnel. That's how l saw your game.
RT
Roar Rookie
PTS, Lynch is underdone, no doubt. I don’t think you can judge him on yet on these points you make. I’m pretty happy with 10 goals in 3 games considering where he is at. I’ve said it here before that I think the Lynch trade is intending to set Richmond up for possible success in a few years, not this year which is also why trading away those other players made sense. But if the injuries can stop and players get back, they might do a 2018 Collingwood this year and be right up there.
RT
Roar Rookie
HFM, Who said they could be A grade players? There were plenty of players that should have been playing AFL but just couldn’t get a regular spot in Richmond’s side when they didn’t have many injuries over the past 2 years. There comes a point when you have to give those players an opportunity to get a regular spot elsewhere so Richmond traded them. I don’t think it is to do with Lynch (they are only paying him 500k this year afterall) and all to do with doing the right things by those players. When Neil Balme was at Geelong in their recent successful era you saw them to it too.
Peter Warrington
Guest
Yes agree I think I thought Lynch was anoth N Riewoldt, an aerobic beast. He seems more a Hawkins. We saw N Riewoldt slicing through the crowd tafter the game to get out early and even retitred and walking he is faster than 99% of the players rhnning. Freak!
Peter Warrington
Guest
the process is weird. Robinson is right that the optics of this one have led to a change to what "medium" means, so they can get a 2 week outcome surely a better look to send it straight to the Tribunal rather than corrupt what logic is left in the MRP gradings?
Peter warrington
Guest
agree re the 2014 Hawks BTW. There was game against Port at Port where they had no reason to keep trying, they had done well. But Lewis kept dragging the undermanned Hawks into it. He didn't want to lose. Best loss I have ever seen. Seriously. I was pretty sure from that point on they were specials for the Flag. right thru to GF day and beyond.
Peter Warrington
Guest
yes. agree. nobody is arguing that. that i can see.
Peter Warrington
Guest
is it logarithmic?