The West Coast players not reacting to Jordan de Goey’s controversial hit on Elijah Hewett has been blasted former Eagles premiership winner Will Schofield, labelling it “as bad as it gets”.
Schofield said Hewett’s teammates should have rushed in rough up the Collingwood star after he laid Hewett out last Saturday.
Hewett had just fired off a handball when De Goey came through and bumped him square in the face.
The young Eagle was ruled out of the rest of the match with concussion, meaning he’ll also miss Saturday’s clash with Adelaide.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson concedes his players missed a chance to “grab a jumper” after de Goey’s brutal bump, but he’s proud of the way they carried themselves.
Eagles midfielder Greg Clark, who physically tried to rough up De Goey following the quarter-time break and at other points in the match, said it was embarrassing Eagles players didn’t immediately remonstrate with the star Magpie.
Adam Simpson. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Simpson did his best to play down the lack of a physical response from his players, instead focusing on the fight they showed in closing to within 14 points despite only having two fit men on the bench.
“I was just really proud of how they responded with the way they played,” Simpson said on Wednesday.
“They might have missed an opportunity to grab a jumper but the most important thing is how we responded with the way we played.
“What we did in the second and third quarters in particular – that’s resilience, that’s strength, that’s toughness.
“There’s not too much you can do (to remonstrate) these days.”
The AFL pushed for de Goey to be banned for four weeks for his brutal bump that concussed the Eagles midfielder but he was handed a three-match suspension by the tribunal on Tuesday night.
“There would be so many embarrassed players at that football club right now that didn’t stand up for their mate. It’s at the top of list of things for me… it doesn’t get any worse” said Schofield on 6PR.
“Two years, three wins, that’s the worst thing I’ve seen on the footy field for two years… don’t stand up for your teammate and you can get in the bin”
Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall has questioned why players even bother bumping anymore in the wake of De Goey’s suspension.
De Goey’s early guilty plea and show of remorse played in his favour, with the AFL Tribunal opting for the minimum three-week ban for a rough conduct charge that was judged to be careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
With the AFL cracking down on any tackles or bumps that put the head in danger, Dunstall pondered why players still decided to bump.
“I don’t understand why players bother bumping any more,” Dunstall told AFL360.
“Unless you’re running side by side and you’re trying to put him off balance and off the line of the ball you’re going for, coming from different directions there is zero to be gained by bumping.
“There’s no point.”
De Goey said he immediately regretted the bump after seeing it on the big screen, and he sought out Hewett after the match to apologise in person.
When he couldn’t find Hewett on the bench, De Goey got the young Eagle’s phone number and texted him his apology.
Jordan De Goey. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Dunstall feels a three-week ban fits the crime, but he wondered why the AFL took remorse and an early guilty plea into account.
“I’m sure Jordy is genuinely sorry. I know he wouldn’t have wanted to hurt a player,” Dunstall said. “It was split second.
“That’s why they said the breach of duty of care was clear but not egregious, because of the pace of the incident. I think three weeks is the right number, it’s the perfect number for it.
“It just amazes me that because I plead guilty and I’m making your job easier, I get a lesser sentence.
“Why does pleading guilty or being sorry have any impact on it?”
De Goey will miss matches against Melbourne, Adelaide and Gold Coast before returning for the round-17 clash with the Western Bulldogs.
With the Kangaroos approaching their mid-season bye, North Melbourne are standing firm on giving Alastair Clarkson as much time away from the club as he needs.
Brett Ratten remains caretaker coach after Clarkson stepped away from Arden St indefinitely last month due to the mental toll of the ongoing Hawthorn racism saga.
The former Carlton and St Kilda coach has led North in their last three matches, twice coming agonisingly close to ending a losing streak that now stretches to 10 games.
The Kangaroos face GWS and the Western Bulldogs over the next two weeks before having their bye in round 15.
The AFL last week disbanded the independent panel set up to investigate allegations of historical racism at the Hawks, with no adverse findings made against then-head coach Clarkson, Chris Fagan or the club’s welfare manager at the time Jason Burt.
All three have strenuously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the claims, which surfaced last September.
A break in North’s schedule could offer good timing for Ratten to hand back the reins to Clarkson if the four-time Hawthorn premiership coach felt ready.
But Ratten reaffirmed no one at the Kangaroos was putting Clarkson under pressure to return.
“There’s no timeline here,” Ratten said.
“First and foremost, to make sure that he’s right and ready to step in and do what he does so well.
Alastair Clarkson. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“From that point of view, let him take as long as he wants. Is it two weeks? Is it four weeks? Is it six weeks? Is it post-season? I don’t know.”
Ratten highlighted numerous examples of fallout from the demands of coaching, including Damien Hardwick quitting Richmond last month after almost 14 seasons in charge.
“What I do know is give (Clarkson) the time, give him the space to get back and be fresh and ready to go, because as we found out through Dimma (Hardwick) and others, it is a challenging job.
“Make sure that you’re right to go and perform at the level that you want to, to take on all the pressures as well.”
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
West Coast coach Adam Simpson is hopeful Nic Naitanui’s AFL career isn’t over despite the star ruckman requiring season-ending surgery on his troublesome Achilles.
Naitanui hasn’t featured at all this year after being grounded by an Achilles issue during the pre-season.
What started as a short-term injury ballooned into a long-term problem.
Up until last week West Coast were hopeful Naitanui would be able to return at the tail-end of the campaign.
But a recent scan confirmed Naitanui now requires surgery in order to fully recover from the tendon injury.
That surgery is expected to take place next week and Simpson is holding out hope of Naitanui playing again in 2024 – the final year of the 33-year-old’s contract.
“Hopefully we can get this right and he can work through the rehab and we see him next year,” Simpson told reporters on Wednesday.
“I know it’s something you can fully recover from.
“It’s just a long stint out, so therefore the season is out of the question.
“I don’t think it has (ruptured). But it’s got to the point where it needs surgical intervention to fix it.
“It’s been unfortunate this year. It came out of the blue a little bit in the pre-season. It’s something you can get over for sure.”
Naitanui’s latest blow continues a torrid run on the injury front for last-placed West Coast, who now have a staggering 21 players on their injury list, with only four of those a chance to return this week.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
The Eagles will be forced to make at least six changes to their side for Saturday’s clash with the Crows in Adelaide after Shannon Hurn (hamstring), Elijah Hewett (concussion), Josh Rotham (finger), Callum Jamieson (hip), Connor West (knee) and Liam Duggan (infection/suspended) were all ruled out.
Tom Barrass, who was a late withdrawal from last week’s loss to Collingwood with a hip injury, won’t be available to return until after the bye.
Jamie Cripps, Jeremy McGovern, Liam Ryan, Tom Cole and Jamaine Jones are other notable names who are still out.
Captain Luke Shuey (ankle/hamstring) is set to return against the Crows and he could be joined by Jack Darling (fractured arm), Luke Edwards (concussion) and Samo Petrevski-Seton (corked leg).
Even if all four are able to return West Coast may need to hand a debut to raw ruckman Harry Barnett in order to inject some much-needed height into the side.
The injury toll to the senior side means West Coast’s WAFL outfit may have as little as one Eagle in their ranks this weekend.
Duggan spent two nights in hospital after a cut in his toe became infected, but he is now out of hospital and will be ready to return after next week’s bye.
“We were a bit worried there for a tiny bit, but it was fixed pretty quickly and he’ll be fine post bye,” Simpson said.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Not a single Swan acknowledged Sam Wicks' second goal against Hawthorn on Sunday, with the apparent snub coming after he was left out of…
Former Adelaide captain Rory Sloane has been forced into immediate retirement by the threat of further eye damage. Sloane, 34, had a second bout…
"You can't push forward with Zac Williams in the short-term... you've got to set standards."
Kane Cornes has hit back at suggestions Aliir Aliir had some responsibility in being concussed in Jack Higgins' dangerous tackle, which saw the Saint…
The MRO handed the Bulldogs player a one-game suspension for rough conduct after his shepherd on Fremantle opponent Brandon Walker.
With the national competition, the premiership-winning coach says some games it was hard to feel the occasion such as ANZAC Round - and it's…
