Ben Long’s one-match suspension has been upheld by the AFL tribunal, but St Kilda are likely to appeal the decision in a bid to have the defender available to face Richmond in Friday night’s semi-final.
Long was slapped with a one-match ban after crunching Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae in the first quarter of St Kilda’s elimination final win at the Gabba on Saturday.
On Monday, Long pleaded guilty to rough conduct but failed in his attempt to have the charge downgraded from “medium” to “low” impact, which would have reduced the sanction to a fine.
“We are disappointed for Ben and will strongly assess our options for appeal,” St Kilda chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.
“We have until midday Tuesday to submit an appeal and it appears the likely option at this early stage.”
Long’s ban currently means the Saints will have to make a third forced change to their team to face the Tigers.
Star ruckman Paddy Ryder has returned to Melbourne after suffering a season-ending hamstring tendon injury while Jake Carlisle left their Queensland hub to be with his partner ahead of the birth of their third child.
Long has shone as a defender this year and would be sorely missed against the Tigers’ small forward brigade.
AFL match review officer Michael Christian had initially assessed his hit on Macrae as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact and St Kilda only contested the “impact” part of the charge.
After an hour of arguments, then close to half an hour of deliberation, the tribunal jury of Richard Loveridge, David Neitz and Paul Williams upheld the “medium” impact grading.
The jury noted Macrae’s head “snaps back on contact” from Long’s shoulder, which indicated “clearly more than a glancing contact”, while they were surprised the Bulldog had “got up as readily as he did.”
St Kilda’s legal counsel Jack Rush QC had pointed to the Bulldogs’ medical report which said Macrae had required immediate on-field assessment but did not need to leave the field for treatment, there was no need for further investigation or ongoing treatment and he would not have missed any training sessions or matches as a result.
But the AFL’s legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC emphasised Long’s momentum and the “significant, forceful impact” behind the bump – and its potential to cause injury – rather than the end result.
The ban is Long’s second this season after he previously received a three-match ban for a careless bump which left Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy concussed in round six.
Apart from those three games, the 23-year-old has played every game for the Saints this year, bringing his career tally to 45.
Andre
Guest
Why dont they use the word serial offender for Burgoyne (2 dangerous sling tackles this year). Some players are untouchable. This bump was not premeditated and it was not a raised elbow or shoulder. It was a glancing blow not a direct high impact hit. Fine at best based on Burgoyne and other serial offenders Lynch and Tom Hawkins.
Maxy
Roar Rookie
he can cross wines off that list,he is staying at port
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
Carlton might be following St Kilda’s strategy from last year with recruiting. A lot of people thought it would fail because of what Port and Essendon did at the end of 2017 for some reason but that was far from the truth. The Saints clearly recruited for their needs and it worked. Port and Essendon in 17′ recruited just because the players were available. Did Essendon really need Stringer, Saad and Smith in the end? Debatable. Same with Port with Watts, Motlop and Rockliff. Port managed to recover with great drafting but I think it is safe to say the Bombers missed the mark. The Saints definitely got it right with all the recruits slotting in seamlessly. Carlton will be hoping Saad, Williams and one of Wines/ Merret/ Oliver can do the same.
sven
Roar Rookie
pretty sure the afl has been consistent in charging blokes that bump opponents in the head, regardless of jumper colour
Kane
Roar Rookie
If Long was wearing black and white it wouldn't be an issue.
Col from Brissie
Roar Guru
No doubt Essendon will be asking for pick 7 which is too much for Saad. Will be interesting to see what the Blues will do. Will they try to swap pick 7 for some late first rounders or offer up some players to get some more picks. Rumours that JSOS is looking elsewhere, would Dow & O’Brien be offered up somewhere? Is Kennedy a certainty to still be a Blue next year? Going to be a big trade period for the Blues.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Dodoro can ask what he wants Saad is out of contract. They paid a futurensecond rounder for him 3 years ago - can't expect much more now.
Macca
Roar Rookie
The Blues have been banking cap space for years, they have plenty of cash and no one will be leaving when our plans seem to becoming to fruition.
Maxy
Roar Rookie
my bad ,he said one of wines merret or oliver,
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
I would love to have Saad at the Saints to give us some speed out of defence but it is a big coup for Carlton to get him over from Essendon. Carlton would be a good chance to make finals next year if they can land Saad, Williams and potentially one of Wines, Oliver and Merret. At the very least I expect them to overtake a side like Melbourne, who got extremely lucky with injuries this year compared to Carlton. I wasn’t aware the Blues were pursuing Wines, Oliver and Merrett tbh. I think Wines and Merrett would be great acquistions but not Oliver. I have never rated him and his disposal is shocking. It will be interesting to see how the negotitians play out between Essendon and Carlton over Saad. Dodoro has been notriously tough to deal with in trades and he might demand Cripps and the Blue’s first rounder for Saad lol.
MattinSG
Guest
I think the example you are seeking is Cotchin on Shiel in the preliminary 2017(?)
Maxy
Roar Rookie
wow get williams get saad and targeting wines oliver and merrett,someone is leaving ,wouldnt be cripps by any chance
Macca
Roar Rookie
Yeah Saad will be a nice counterpart for Docherty, 2 attacking HBF one rebounds by foot the other through run, only 1 can get the defensive forward. With Newman and Marchbank coming back from injury as well our defence will be pretty strong and the likes of SPS and Williamson can push into the midfield. Williams will really improve our midfield, his speed and hardness will make Cripps more effective. Getting Williams for free is great and I am hearing we will trade 7 with the Cats for 2 of their later first rounders and 1 of those will go to the bombers. Hearing the blues are chasing hard to get 1 of Wines, Oliver or Merrett with the other late pick and our next years first.
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
A bit off topic Macca but saw Adam Saad has requested a trade to the Blues. Going to be a very interesting trade period for Carlton. Getting Williams and Saad would give Carlton some serious speed next year. It also might be a sign of things to come for Essendon with a big exodus of players expected.
sven
Roar Rookie
i guess we just see it differently, its not black & white
Macca
Roar Rookie
"theres still blokes laying bumps & not hitting blokes in the head" There but for the grace of God go I. MacRae had time to blind turn (contributing as much to the high contact as Long), had a runner outside, the Bulldogs throw the ball around very fast and TBH looking at the vision had Long chosen to tackle he would basically coat hangered MacRae - I have no issue with Long choosing not to tackle
sven
Roar Rookie
the blokes just grabbed the pill when long couldve tackled him so cant see how he had time to dispose of it before the tackle wouldve got him … once u choose to bump ( & how could it be otherwise, he could just as easily had tackled him ?) rather than tackle & u hit your opponent in the head youre gunna get pinged, the afl has been pretty consistent with that. whether it deserves a week off is another argument, but long prob needs to look at that part of his game, theres still blokes laying bumps & not hitting blokes in the head
Vercetti1986'
Roar Rookie
100% agree Macca. It is an injustice and inexcusable what the AFL has done. The problem is that some rules apply to some players and not others. The AFL have repeteadly proven they have zero credibility when it comes to these matters. People like Michael Christian, Gil and Hocking have shown they are unfit to be doing their jobs because of the terrible policies and precedents they have set. The game is going incredibly soft when players are getting rubbed out for textbook bumps but I can guarantee you if a Dustin Martin, Fyfe etc. did it, this wouldn’t even be under discussion in the MRP and they would probably be lauded for being tough. In saying that, they might as well wrap the players up in cotton wool or force every player to wear protective gear if they want to do everything possible to reduce risks. All Macrae showed when Long bumped him is that he doesn’t have a glass jaw in a legitmate contest for the ball and got up and played for the rest of the game. It is becoming a sport of wimps sadly with the outrage towards bumping. They want to water down something fundamental to the game and there should be some responsibility on part of the person being bumped to protect themselves too. Some fairly innocous tackes/bumps could become very dangerous if the other player doesn’t do anything to brace themselves so why isn’t that part of the conversation as well? I think this one-size fits all approach to the rules isn’t right and it should be case-by-case for every player and not just the more well known players.
Nick
Roar Guru
@Macca Well, yes can't argue with your first point. On the question you ask...for me, there is no bad time to take the right stance on protecting the head. I'd say the same even if it was a Cats player who did the same in a prelim final, gets charged and will miss the GF. A game is a game. A concussion is no different in the H/A or the finals. I'm absolute on head protection. But, I can appreciate and respect why others would disagree re: finals matches.
sven
Roar Rookie
its not text book if u hit your opponent in the head, hasnt been for a long time now