Collingwood great Nathan Buckley is adamant Brayden Maynard should not have a case to answer for the Magpies defender’s controversial collision with Melbourne’s Angus Brayshaw.
Maynard will learn his fate at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night for the incident in the first quarter of the Pies’ qualifying final win, which saw Brayshaw concussed and ruled out of the Demons’ must-win semi final against Carlton, with no guarantee he will return for a preliminary final should they make it either.
Direct to Tribunal hearings usually carry with them a minimum three-week suspension unless the case is thrown out, which would rule Maynard out of the rest of the season, including a grand final if the Magpies qualify.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Buckley, who coached Maynard at the Pies until 2021, suggesting that the club’s ‘love them or hate them’ status in the AFL has led to some of the debate over the divisive incident.
“I certainly hope that we take the colours of the guernseys out of it – that we look at the circumstances of the matter and that we’re actually fair to these guys that are playing football at break-neck speed,” Buckley said.
For Buckley, the ‘grey area’ around what head contact is legal in the AFL and what isn’t is creating confusion in all areas of the league, from players to fans to broadcasters, with inconsistency around what players are permitted to do causing further problems.
“There have been players that have been suspended this year for acts that I don’t think are outside what you would expect a footballer to do,” Buckley said.
“This idea of duty of care and this idea of protecting the head has had this groundswell of focus around it. We’ve seen players, in my view, that have been penalised and suspended for acts that I think that others have been let go of.
“Yes, we do get head contact that’s not penalised… there’s a lot of grey area here for me, because if you went all-in on this duty of care and this medico legal issue around concussion and head knocks, you’d be rubbing out five or six players on potential damage to the head every week.”
Co-host and Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes, who has been strong in his belief that Maynard should avoid suspension for the incident, agreed, saying a ban for the divisive Pie would set a dangerous precedent.
“He [Maynard] is running flat out and he’s jumping in the air. He cannot disappear,” Cornes said.
“You actually have to brace and half protect yourself otherwise you both get knocked out. There’s always going to be accidents. We see knees to the head in marking contests all the time and no one cares about it. The AFL doesn’t care about that from a legal perspective.
“You can jump up, drive your knee into someone’s head running back with the flight of the ball, and as long as you’re looking to take a mark you’re fine. But you can’t jump and try to smother the football.
“I’m really fired up about it. It’s unfair to think he could have done anything else in that circumstance.”
Should Maynard receive a suspension from the Tribunal, it’s highly likely the Magpies will take the matter to the AFL Appeals Board, which the Giants successfully did regarding forward Toby Bedford’s one-match suspension in Round 24 to free him for their elimination final win over St Kilda.
George Apps
Roar Rookie
Rubbish!
Arges Tuft
Roar Rookie
Roll, Turn (same same)! he opted to jump into him though hey. :thumbup:
Ed Flanders
Roar Rookie
You can roll, but you can’t turn.
Arges Tuft
Roar Rookie
Just on 2, he did physically turn to his right straight into him once airborne :silly: can be done. prob is he didnt think it through first
Arges Tuft
Roar Rookie
well said
Ace
Roar Rookie
"great" thought process there. Who do you think (apart from Maynard) is going to miss a grand final for being stupid
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Spot on Wayne. Michael Christian said he had no case to answer. It's a concern that the new GM Operations is pulling rank at the very first opportunity, but that's what you get when you have professional administrators in the role and not subject matter experts. Her primary concern in the role will be legalities and revenue generation, the game will fall a distant third. She will also have "something to prove" because she's a chick in a man's role.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
How many times have players jumped to smother a ball and not cleaned anyone up? This is the first time it has so I’d say his chances of cleaning up are far less than 100%. Even if we assume it happens twice a year, the game has been going for 150 years so it’s no more than 1 in 300. But we know players do it a lot more than that. ...People do do it, all the time.
Ed Flanders
Roar Rookie
Therefore, it is careless. It hasn't happened before because it is plainly obvious they only outcome was collecting the head... So people don't do it
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
It's all about timing. Seconds before this happened my daughter asked my wife (Collingwood) what she wish from this match. She replied "No suspensions, no injuries". Promptly, Maynard took flight & crashed while De Goey pulled up limped off. Lucky for them De Goey limped back on.
Kane
Roar Rookie
I’m blaming Maynard not Brayshaw, Brayshaw had no control in the outcome of this whatsoever
.kraM
Roar Rookie
The same Trent Cotchin who should have missed a GF?
Aransan
Roar Rookie
If he had taken one step less the outcome would have been less serious and Maynard wouldn’t have needed to turn his body to protect himself.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Maynard took one step too far and must take responsibility for hitting Brayshaw with his shoulder. Admittedly a decision made in a split second but players have to change the way they play to minimise concussion injuries.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
You’re a stat man Macca; how many times have players jumped to smother a ball and not cleaned anyone up? This is the first time it has so I’d say his chances of cleaning up are far less than 100%. Even if we assume it happens twice a year, the game has been going for 150 years so it’s no more than 1 in 300. But we know players do it a lot more than that.
Luke - Hawk tragic
Roar Rookie
Things is regardless of intent, it will be graded as careless, high impact of high contact, which will mean two weeks. Its just how it is. If it was deliberate, he would get 3-4, but he will get 2 due to severity and failed in duty of care.
Ed Flanders
Roar Rookie
And now you've undermined your argument entirely. The ball holder isn't open season. That's been established beyond any doubt. It is precisely because the ball holder/ball user cannot brace for impact in the same way that using the shoulder on them has been swiftly outlawed. Thought that would have been obvious to most...perhaps not.
Dingo
Roar Rookie
I agree Kane. But it’s the appeals processes that are under question. Doesn’t seem to matter if guilty or innocent, at this time of year they just asleep appealing to a different body until they get off.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
So l watched again. I think he attempted something quite spectacular but l feel he could've taken a more evasive action. At worst clumsy attempt at avoidance. Is there an outcome yet. I imagine there must've been by now.
Macca
Roar Rookie
Only if they collide with while performing a similar WWE move that Maynard did