Carlton and North Melbourne will each be without a suspended player for their Good Friday clash after the AFL Tribunal rejected challenges from both clubs.
Kangaroo key defender Griffin Logue and Blue Blake Acres both had one-game bans for rough conduct confirmed by the tribunal on Tuesday night after incidents stemming from round three.
Acres copped his for a bump on GWS player Brent Daniels, his argument that he was trying to smother a kick rather than bump his opponent rejected.
The Carlton winger said a pectoral injury he’d suffered earlier in the contest had stopped him lifting the arm that made contact with his opponent.
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His lawyer said he was looking to avoid making contact with Daniels due to his injury, Acres’ actions weren’t unreasonable in contesting the football, and impact was “glancing”.
Griffin Logue is tackled by Tyler Brockman. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
The AFL said Acres moved towards Daniels rather than the ball and any contact wasn’t incidental in the act of smothering.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson agreed and upheld the ban.
“Acres may have at one point intended to smother, but it was not his intent just prior to or at the moment of impact,” he said.
“The angle of his approach to the contest was at the last moment towards the player.”
Logue’s ban compounds defensive issues for the Kangaroos ahead of their battle with Carlton twin towers Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, with fellow key back Ben McKay still sidelined with a foot injury.
Logue’s defence was that he was only ever attempting to win the football and did not intend to “bump” Day, with his eyes locked and his head over the ball at the point of collision.
No free kick was awarded against Logue and his lawyer noted no Hawthorn players remonstrated with him after the incident, and Day was not injured.
But Gleeson dismissed his arguments and said he had made a specific decision to bump.
“After initially preparing to bend low to pick up the ball, (Logue) changed his intention, did not attempt to pick up the ball, but instead chose to bump,” he said.
“He could and should have gone lower and closer to the ball with his hands in an attempt to pick up the ball rather than choosing to bump.”
Before the hearing, Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said they were challenging the ban for an “assessment on what is allowed in the game”.
“In this instance, we think this is in play and in a split-second the decision’s had to be made and that decision in our view was around (Logue) trying to protect himself more so than trying to take a player out,” Clarkson said.
The full extent of West Coast’s derby injury carnage has been laid bare, with star trio Jeremy McGovern, Liam Ryan and Jamie Cripps all requiring surgery.
Cripps underwent surgery on his broken left ankle on Tuesday, while scans reveal that both McGovern (hamstring) and Ryan (hamstring) are likely to need surgery as well.
It was no surprise that McGovern needs surgery given how high up he tore his hamstring and the abrupt nature that he pulled up.
But Ryan’s setback comes as a huge shock because he was able to return to the field.
Ryan was injured after he crashed head-first to the turf after flying high for a mark.
He could barely walk after the incident, but bravely returned to the field in the final quarter of the 41-point loss to Fremantle.
It was initially feared he had injured his back or his knee, but scans have since shown a torn hamstring.
Cripps could miss the rest of the season with his broken ankle, while McGovern and Ryan are set to spend months on the sidelines.
The news was better for skipper Luke Shuey, who is only expected to miss two to three weeks with his own hamstring injury.
But no timeline has been set for the return of Campbell Chesser, who injured his knee in the derby.
Defender Alex Witherden will miss Sunday’s clash with Melbourne because of concussion.
Harry Edwards, who was in line to replace McGovern, is listed as a test after injuring his ankle at training.
Ruckman Nic Naitanui (achilles) won’t return until the middle of the season, but veteran Elliot Yeo (calf) could be back this week.
“We were proud of our players’ spirit and determination in difficult circumstances against Fremantle, albeit disappointed not to get the result we were hoping for,” West Coast’s football manager Gavin Bell said.
“Unfortunately, from that match we’ve had some bad luck on the injury front, largely stemming from collision injuries, which we all accept are part of the game.
Jeremy McGovern of the Eagles is assisted off the field. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“After a heavy landing from a marking contest, Liam felt he was capable of returning to the field, and his desire to help the team with interchange rotations was admirable.
“Unlike last season, we have much better availability among our squad after 14 AFL-listed players represented the WAFL Eagles in their win over Subiaco on Saturday.
“We’re really confident in those players stepping up to play roles as required and, while we’ll do everything we possibly can to support our injured players’ welfare, the team and coaches led by Adam Simpson are quickly refocusing on taking on Melbourne.”
Meanwhile, Fremantle forward Nat Fyfe (plantar fasciitis) is still not ready to return from injury, meaning he will miss Saturday’s clash with the Crows in Adelaide. Defender Heath Chapman will miss three weeks with a calf injury.
Coach Sam Mitchell says he feels the love from Hawthorn powerbrokers win, lose or draw as the Hawks continue on their challenging rebuild.
Hawthorn secured their first win of the season on Saturday, upsetting former Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson’s North Melbourne.
The Hawks were belted in the opening two rounds by Essendon and Sydney, leading to heavy criticism around their deep list cuts.
Experienced midfielders Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara were offloaded at the end of last season despite Hawthorn finishing 13th in 2022 with just eight wins.
New president Andy Gowers last Saturday hit out at suggestions of “tanking” to improve their draft position this year, calling them “utterly offensive”.
It came just hours before the Hawks pulled off a memorable 19-point win in Launceston.
“I can’t be anything but thankful to the board and Andy and all those guys,” Mitchell said on Wednesday.
James Worpel of the Hawks breaks a tackle. (Photo by Simon Sturzaker/Getty Images)
“They understand and they’ve been part of the direction that we’re going and the strategic thinking, whether they were there from the start of the build or whether they’ve come in now.
“We’ve been really showing them everything that we’ve done, and they’ve been nothing but supportive.
“The amount of text messages I got from that group after the loss(es) showed me we’re in good hands.”
Even Jordan Lewis has questioned whether Mitchell, his four-time Hawthorn premiership teammate, can survive the expected period without playing finals before the dramatic list overhaul reaps rewards.
But Gowers has vowed to back in Mitchell even through some of the tough times that will likely follow with the youngest and least experienced list in the league.
During Clarkson’s successful tenure between 2005 and 2021, he still regularly, and infamously, clashed with former president Jeff Kennett about the direction of the club.
“We’re not the first club to do this and won’t be the last and we’ve done this before successfully (from 2004-07),” he told 3AW on Saturday.
“This rebuild has been described as a form of tanking and I take absolute exception to that and find that suggestion utterly offensive.
“You’re talking about an ultra-competitive guy (Mitchell) and wouldn’t have tanked a minute of any game he played and he’s in charge of those boys, along with (football manager) Rob McCartney.”
Mitchell said dynamic star Chad Wingard will likely return for Hawthorn’s Easter Monday clash with Geelong, while key forward Mitch Lewis (knee) is still about a month away from returning.
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