Salisbury West suspended from Adelaide Footy League after player banned for life
A NORTHERN suburbs football club has been dumped from the Adelaide Footy League and its captain banned for life after he was found guilty of four offences during the one game — including shattering an opponent’s jaw.
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A NORTHERN suburbs football club has been dumped from the Adelaide Footy League and its captain banned for life after he was found guilty of four offences from one game at the tribunal.
Salisbury West player Adam Jones was suspended on Wednesday night for a total of 27 weeks, taking his career tally to 34 games and over the league’s 12-game life ban threshold.
It is the most matches suspension handed down in league history for an individual from a single game.
Jones was found guilty of striking, kicking and undue rough play from four incidents caught on camera last Saturday against Trinity Old Scholars.
The guilty verdict breached a good behaviour agreement Salisbury West had with the league, meaning the club was immediately turfed for the remainder of the season.
“Salisbury West entered season 2018 fully cognisant of the consequences for a breach of their agreement let alone a series of breaches to this magnitude from one match,” league chief executive John Kernahan said.
“The league has never baulked from its responsibility of removing those who present a risk to other members whether they be an individual, team or club and we are not about to start now.
“We’re quite happy having less players and even a club or two if it means the ones we do have are playing footy for the reasons we promote.”
It was the latest in a series of violent on-field incidents involving the club dating back to 2005.
Jones and Salisbury West officials are yet to make any public comment since Saturday’s match and refused to answer questions from media before and after the match.
Salsibury West will play no further part in the division six finals series.
Jones received three suspensions for striking, one for 10 weeks (by knee), a second for six weeks (by knee) and a third for an elbow.
He also received three games for attempting to trip, while a stomping charge was dismissed.
The league deregisters players if they exceed its 12-match threshold.
One of the hits shattered the jaw of Trinity player Carl Teusner, who underwent surgery on Wednesday morning.
Teusner also made a statement to police about the incident on Tuesday.
The league has reshaped the division six finals series following Salisbury West’s removal.
Rosewater, which was scheduled to play the Tigers in a semi-final this Saturday, will now progress directly through to the grand final to be played on September 1.
Trinity’s semi-final against Fitzroy this weekend will now become a preliminary final with the winner facing the Dogs in the decider.
Salisbury West’s B grade has also been removed from the division six reserves finals.
Last Saturday’s match was the latest in a series of violent incidents involving the club dating back to 2005.
Last year, four Salisbury West players — two seniors and two under-18s — were suspended for a total of 31 weeks across the season from five separate reports.
In 2005, the division four grand final between Salisbury West and Payneham Norwood Union turned violent and five Tigers players were suspended for a total of 38 games.
Salisbury West was also fined $2000 and was not promoted to division three for the next season.