While the high-profile Brayden Maynard case took the spotlight, Carlton forward Jack Martin also had success at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night, with his two-game ban for striking Sydney’s Nick Blakey reduced to one match.
Martin pleaded guilty to the striking charge, but Carlton successfully argued the impact grading should be downgraded from high to medium.
Although the one-match ban means he will miss Friday night’s blockbuster against Melbourne, he will be available for the preliminary final should Carlton make it that far.
The Blues said Martin’s incident was similar to one involving Jacob van Rooyen from last Thursday night. The Melbourne forward copped a one-game ban for his elbow on Magpies opponent Dan McStay as it was classified as medium impact.
They also brought up incidents involving Jason Horne-Francis on Josh Kelly last year and Marlion Pickett on Brandon Starcevich that were also graded as medium.
Jack Martin. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Debate will continue to rage after the AFL confirmed it won’t appeal against the tribunal decision that cleared Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard of any wrongdoing for the collision that knocked out Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw.
Maynard was deemed not guilty of rough conduct during a marathon four-hour hearing at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night, freeing him to play in Collingwood’s preliminary final next week.
The AFL decided not to appeal against the decision after “careful consideration and review of the Tribunal’s decision and reasons following last night’s hearing”.
The league says it will list its reasoning in more detail later on Wednesday.
The incident has divided the football world.
Before Tuesday night’s hearing, Hamish Brayshaw – the brother of Angus – said it would be an “injustice” if Maynard was able to dodge suspension.
Angus Brayshaw will miss Melbourne’s semi-final against Carlton – and may not play again under a worst-case scenario – after being clattered into by the airborne Maynard.
Maynard had leapt into the air in an attempt to smother the ball and turned his body at the last moment in a movement that resulted in his shoulder making contact with Brayshaw’s head.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said the tribunal case would define what players’ duty of care looked like in such “football acts”.
AFL counsel Andrew Woods argued Maynard had breached his duty of care by deciding to smother in such a dangerous way.
He also argued Maynard had made a conscious decision to bump after realising contact would be made. But the AFL Tribunal of chairman Jeff Gleeson, Scott Stevens and Darren Gaspar found Maynard’s actions were “reasonable”.
“He committed to the act of smothering when he was … several metres from Brayshaw,” Gleeson said in his findings.
“We are not at all satisfied that a reasonable player would have foreseen that violent impact, or impact of the type suffered by Brayshaw, was inevitable or even likely.”
Maynard claimed he never made a conscious decision to bump. Instead, he said it was simply him flinching and seizing up.
Collingwood called upon a biomechanics and neuroscience expert to give evidence that Maynard was highly unlikely to have had enough time to make a decision to bump. Woods maintained instead of turning his body, Maynard should have either put his hands out to cushion the blow or opened up his arms to collect Brayshaw.
But even if Maynard had done either of those things, Woods conceded it might have still resulted in a reportable offence. Gleeson said players simply couldn’t assess all the different options available to them in such a short period of time.
“It’s asking a lot of a player to decide in a fraction of a second which of various ways to land in a high-speed collision, and which of those ways of landing might result in which type of reportable offence,” Gleeson said.
“We find he was not careless in either his decision to smother, or the way in which his body formed after his smother.”
Former Richmond captain Trent Cotchin, who was freed to play in the 2017 grand final after escaping suspension for his high hit on then-GWS star Dylan Shiel, said it was hard to judge players for split-second decisions.
“The challenge is that when you slow any vision down to microseconds, that’s a big difference to what actually happens in the moment,” he said. “The 2017 situation for me, I was unaware until after the game of how close I probably was to maybe missing the biggest game in my career to (that point).
“I’m very fortunate that wasn’t the case.”
Long-serving West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett has formally announced he will step away from the club at the end of his contract in October, 2024.
Nisbett was appointed West Coast football manager in 1989 and became the club’s chief executive in 1999.
But his position has come under increasing scrutiny over the past two years following the Eagles’ dramatic fall from grace.
West Coast only won two games last year, and they collected the wooden spoon this season following a disastrous three-win campaign.
Speculation was rife that either Nisbett or coach Adam Simpson – or both – would be sacked this year.
Simpson looked gone following the club’s 101-point loss to Fremantle in round 22 – the club’s fifth triple-figure defeat of the season.
(Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
But a famous win over the Western Bulldogs a week later and a groundswell of support from the club’s supporter base was enough to convince the board to stick with Simpson, who is contracted until 2025.
West Coast have now begun the search for a new chief executive, with Nisbett pledging to do whatever he can to ensure the handover is a smooth one.
There’s a chance Nisbett could step aside before the end of his contract in October next year.
“I have been speaking to the board for several months and we have agreed that the club needs to start the process of finding a new chief executive,” Nisbett said in a statement.
During Nisbett’s 34 years at West Coast, the club won four flags, played in seven grand finals, featured in 24 finals campaigns, and grew to more than 100,000 members.
“No expansion club in the national competition has been as successful as the West Coast Eagles,” Nisbett said. “I have led the club during these successes, but also during those times that we have really struggled, when winning feels a long way away.
“As has occurred previously I remain confident we will rebound. I promise to do whatever I can to ensure the next CEO has the best start possible to deliver on the next phase.”
Former captain Stephen Coniglio will return from his eye injury, leaving GWS with a tough selection call for their AFL semi-final against Port Adelaide.
The star Giants midfielder was a late withdrawal from Saturday’s elimination final win over St Kilda because of blurred vision, after a ball had hit him in the eye at training.
HIs replacement Xavier O’Halloran played his role against the Saints, but Coniglio returned to training on Tuesday morning and is certain to be recalled for the sudden-death final against the Power on Saturday night at Adelaide Oval.
“It was unfortunate missing him on the weekend, but he was out there training today and feeling a lot better. So he’ll be good to go,” said Giants vice-captain Josh Kelly.
He was asked how unlucky someone will be to make way for Coniglio.
“Absolutely – everyone played their role on the weekend and played it really well,” Kelly replied.
“When you have that kind of pressure for selection … that’s a sign of a really good team.
“It will be a tough one, but everyone’s really understanding that’s that the way it is, that’s how you be a successful team.”
Kelly was on light duties at Tuesday training, but said the team had a “clean bill of health” after the MCG match.
While the Giants have a solid 6-4 record in their last 10 Adelaide Oval visits, they have not beaten Port there since 2019.
Their most recent visit was a 51-point belting in round 22 that put the Giants’ finals hopes in jeopardy.
“We learned a few lessons from our last time. We weren’t at the level we needed to be and they played an outstanding brand,” Kelly said. “So we have to expect them to be at that level again. We just have to raise how we (go) about it.”
Kelly added their scouting of Port would be a mix of that round-22 loss, plus how well Brisbane played the Power in Saturday night’s qualifying final.
“We saw them at their absolute best that day. You take those lessons,” he said. “Then you also look at ways the Lions might have gotten on top … and balance that.”
Coniglio’s absence meant Kelly spent more time in the midfield and he was best afield against St Kilda. Kelly said teammate Tom Green, who also shone last Saturday, was a big reason the Giants are back in the premiership hunt.
“He’s got a real confidence in his ability. I walk alongside him taller because of that,” Kelly said.
“He’s a great player, makes us a better team and I think he does love the big stage. He’s a bull, he’s done it consistently enough now to show he’s one of the stars of the competition.
“It’s a special group. Right from the moment the new coaches walked in (this season), the game style and culture they wanted to implement, the whole group was well and truly on board.
“I have so much trust in this group.”
with AAP
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