Herald Sun reporter Mark Robinson has launched a scathing attack on the AFL tribunal for its decision not to penalize Giants forward Jesse Hogan for striking Carlton’s Lewis Young behind the play.
Despite a new rule for 2024 that allows negligible impact incidents to be upgraded to low impact based on the potential to cause serious injury, the tribunal determined that Hogan’s action was negligible and thus dismissed the charge.
Robinson was stunned by the decision, arguing that any form of striking should have consequences and that Hogan’s actions set a dangerous precedent for allowing players to engage in such behavior well behind the play.
“I can’t comprehend that, I really can’t,” Robinson said on Fox Footy. “If he’s not going to get suspended, he should get a fine.
“When can you throw a jab at a player and connect with him and they say: ‘Nah, you didn’t hit him too hard.’
“C’mon AFL, C’mon tribunal! I think the tribunal this year has really let footy down and I don’t say that flippantly.
“I’m staggered by that decision. If you’re going to throw (a fist) with that force and it’s just clipped him, well fine him for the action.
“We can’t have players doing that 100 metres behind the play. It doesn’t sit comfortable with me.”
Robinson’s co-host Gerard Whatley agreed, noting that even if the strike didn’t meet the low impact threshold, there should still be consequences for such an action behind play.
“So the threshold was it’s got to reach low, but don’t take any consideration into that is was behind the play, which is deliberate,” Whatley said.
“I mean C’mon, I think that’s a really poor decision.
“You can’t escape any penalty for doing that, you just can’t. If they don’t want to give him a week, downgrade it, but don’t throw it out. That’s wrong.”
Meanwhile, Essendon champion Tim Watson said he was “surprised” that Toby Greene’s one-match ban for rough conduct against Carlton’s Jordan Boyd would stand.
Watson argued that Greene was legitimately contesting the ball and that his action of bracing himself should still be allowable in the game.
“To me, this is an error of judgement by the Tribunal in handing down a penalty to Toby Greene,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.
“He was competing for a ball, it dropped, he braced himself – which you’re entitled to do – and you’re always going to have a collision when you find yourself in that situation.
“Particularly when the ball has been directed to you and it’s the other player coming back with the flight of the ball. There’s going to be a collision.
“They say it’s a bump, but it’s just a way of protecting yourself. They’re saying you can’t (do that), I’m saying that action should still be allowable in our game.”
Watson said the Tribunal’s decision made him “angry” and that the AFL has now set that as the “benchmark” for a collision.
