Port Adelaide has mixed night at SANFL tribunal as Billy Frampton cleared to play grand final, Aidyn Johnson’s ban upheld
Port Adelaide has had a mixed night at SANFL tribunal as it sought to have two players’ suspensions overturned so they could play in next Sunday’s grand final.
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Billy Frampton is free to play in next weekend’s SANFL grand final but Aidyn Johnson is not after Port Adelaide’s decision not to again appeal his two-game suspension.
A day after delaying the hearing to seek more evidence, the league’s tribunal on Wednesdya night overturned Frampton’s ban for striking Glenelg captain Chris Curran in the second quarter of the Magpies’ second semi-final win over the Tigers on Sunday.
But it upheld the match review panel’s decision to suspend Johnson for striking Curran, ensuring a two-match ban because Port did not take the offer of a one-game penalty for an early guilty plea.
The Magpies decided against a secondary appeal on Thursday.
At the start of Wednesday night’s proceedings, Port accepted both cases were “high” contact and “careless” but challenged the review panel’s findings of “medium” impact, saying they should have instead been “low”.
The tribunal was convinced Johnson’s strike was “medium” impact but believed there was enough reasonable doubt with Frampton’s to reduce his ban to a $200 fine and reprimand.
After their respective hearings, Frampton was “ecstatic” to be able to play in the premiership decider on Sunday, September 23, while Johnson said he was disappointed with his result and the club would “assess our options”.
“I’m over the moon and really happy,” said Frampton, whose verdict came second, more than four hours after proceedings started.
With Curran not at the tribunal and it not allowing him to give evidence via video link, the cases rested on footage and photos of the incidents, as well as a submission from the Tigers’ doctor.
The doctor said Curran had not yet been cleared to play, would take part in “light training” on Wednesday night and would have a concussion test later in the week.
But Port argued it was disadvantaged by not being able to question Curran about his injuries and the incidents, saying “despite three invitations … he chose not to attend without any proper excuse”.
The Tigers will be hoping their skipper is passed fit to play in Sunday’s preliminary against Adelaide.
Frampton, who on Monday accepted a $200 fine and reprimand with an early guilty plea for striking Glenelg’s Will Gould in the second semi-final, avoided his third ban this season.
Johnson was playing his first game back from a one-week rough conduct suspension in the last minor round.
Port is seeking to win its first SANFL premiership in 20 years.
Next Sunday will be the Magpies’ third grand final since becoming the Power’s reserves in 2014.