AFL MRP 2017: Lauren Wood reviews all the big MRP cases from the home and away season
FROM Bachar Houli, Toby Greene and Tom Hawkins, there was plenty of MRP controversy in 2017. But how did footy’s judicial system perform? LAUREN WOOD reviews the big cases.
THE 2017 season will be remembered for some of the biggest MRP and tribunal cases ever.
From Bachar Houli to Toby Greene and Tom Hawkins, there was plenty of spirited debate amongst the wider football community.
So how did the MRP stack up?
Lauren Wood calls right or wrong on the nine cases that defined footy’s judicial system in 2017.
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BERNIE VINCE (MEL)
THE CHARGE: Striking St Kilda youngster Nathan Wright — intentional, low impact, high
THE VERDICT: One game suspension
THE FALLOUT: Vince copped his second striking suspension in 12 months and said he thought “it was a bit of an aggressive cuddle”. Later in the season, Vince revealed that his parents no longer book flights to watch him play in advance due to his propensity to be suspended. “They used to book flights a couple of months out, when they’d get the cheap flights,” he said on Nova. “That’s cost them twice this year.” He later was suspended for two games for striking Eddie Betts.
OUR TAKE: This one was bang on the mark — Vince collected Wright behind the play with an upper arm to the back of the head, forcing the Saint from the field.
TRENT COTCHIN (RICH)
THE CHARGE: Striking Docker Lachie Neale — careless, low impact, high
THE VERDICT: Guilty, $1000 fine
THE FALLOUT: The footy world was split, with the act sparking the crackdown on jumper punches by the league. MRP member Jimmy Bartel said the panel was “handcuffed” by its grading table, while many commentators believed the Richmond skipper should have been banned.
OUR TAKE: A one-match ban would have been appropriate, and would have stopped the year-long furore around inconsistency on jumper punches. It continued to be used as a reference throughout the year, which a suspension would have quelled.
BACHAR HOULI (RICH)
THE CHARGE: Striking Carlton’s Jed Lamb — intentional, high impact, high
THE VERDICT: Guilty, straight to tribunal. The tribunal then hit Houli with a two-match ban, before the AFL appealed and the Tiger was hit with four weeks.
THE FALLOUT: The week following Round 14 had the whole town talking tribunal. The Tigers’ call to include comments from PM Malcolm Turnbull as part of their submission to the panel — plus a letter from Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly — sparked plenty of commentary. And then there was the penalty, which was doubled on AFL appeal.
OUR TAKE: The league had to appeal this one and it produced an appropriate result. Oh, and Malcolm, can you get me off that parking fine?
TOMAS BUGG (MEL)
THE CHARGE: Striking Sydney Rising Star Callum Mills — intentional, high impact, high
THE VERDICT: Guilty, straight to tribunal where he was slapped with a six-week penalty
THE FALLOUT: An “embarrassed” Bugg said he had to rebuild his reputation after copping the ban, while co-captain Nathan Jones said the midfielder had “burnt a fair bit of trust” in the act. Bugg didn’t return to senior football in 2017 after serving his ban.
OUR TAKE: A crude, behind-play hit that deserved a lengthy ban. He pleaded guilty and copped his full whack, with his player advocate telling the tribunal that the incident would “follow Bugg for the rest of his career”. That remains to be seen.
TOM HAWKINS (GEEL)
THE CHARGE: Striking, twice. Once on Matt Crouch in Round 11, before striking Swans defender Dane Rampe in Round 20.
THE VERDICT: One match for the first offence, followed by two matches, up to three due to bad record, then back to two with an early guilty plea
THE FALLOUT: The first hit saw Geelong coach Chris Scott warn that the crackdown on jumper punching could backfire, and that he expected the AFL “to go 180 degrees”. “If we get to prelim final (week) and that gets a week, there will be uproar, and I will be in that camp.” Hawkins’ second offence saw Cats football boss Steve Hocking taking action and addressing the issue with the forward.
OUR TAKE: Had to bear the full wrath of the MRP the second time around. The league explicitly expressed that it was cracking down on such incidents and yet it didn’t stop players, with the incident Hawkins’ fourth in 18 months. Just silly, really.
PATRICK DANGERFIELD
THE CHARGE: Rough conduct on Blues ruck Matthew Kreuzer — intentional, low impact, to the body
THE VERDICT: Took early guilty plea for one-week suspension, down from two
THE FALLOUT: Patrick Dangerfield’s Brownlow Medal defence was over. The Cats considered rolling the dice on an appeal, but the prospect of being without the star midfielder for a huge clash with Sydney proved too costly. The incident also reignited debate about the tackle, particularly when arms are pinned. Herald Sun readers were also split, with 12,500 having their say and 52 per cent believing the MRP got it wrong.
OUR TAKE: Unfortunately for the then-Brownlow favourite, the result was the right one. You just can’t drag a player to ground with both arms pinned, and the fact that Kreuzer was concussed wasn’t a great look for the game. Took the team option and accepted, which was the right move. But it will hurt to have to present the medal he is ineligible for come September.
BEN CUNNINGTON
THE CHARGE: Striking Demons midfielder Bernie Vince — intentional, low impact, to the body
THE VERDICT: $1000 fine
THE FALLOUT: This was the test case that prompted league boss Gillon McLachlan to forecast new rules to rid the game of punching. “I don’t like punching in our game.” He said. Match review panel member Jimmy Bartel called on the league to introduce greater powers, saying it needed scope to punish “non-football acts”.
OUR TAKE: Giving the Kangaroo a week would have put a stop to things and made a strong statement on punches. The penalty system is expected to be looked at come the end of the season.
TOBY GREENE
THE CHARGE: Misconduct on Bulldogs midfielder Luke Dahlhaus
THE VERDICT: $1500 fine
THE FALLOUT: The Giant’s boot to the face of his Bulldogs opponent — who was left bloodied and required stitches and a staple to the face — had the entire football world talking. Was it intentional? Or a complete mistake as Greene hung in the air and took a handball? Some argued he was simply trying to protect himself, while others slammed the fiery star for the act. He said he “didn’t mean to kick him in the head” but this week declared that he wouldn’t be changing his style. “I can’t guarantee in my next marking contest I won’t protect myself with my knee,” he said. “That’s just how I play footy and from what I’m aware of you’re allowed to do it.”
OUR TAKE: It should have been a week. But it was an unfortunate act that didn’t fit the table. A leg was raised — to receive a handball, not in a marking contest — and a player wore a boot to the face. Yes, there’s variables, plus no definitive category for such an act apart from misconduct in the panel’s grading table. Under the system in play, there was no other call that could have been made, bar sending it straight to the tribunal.
JACK REDPATH
THE CHARGE: Striking Giants co-captain Phil Davis — intentional, low impact, high
THE VERDICT: Three weeks down to two due to bad record. He then challenged at the AFL Tribunal, which was unsuccessful, resulting in a three-match ban.
THE FALLOUT: Redpath’s advocate — leading criminal lawyer Rob Stary — attempted to argue that the contact was with an open hand and was a push rather than a strike, and that it was to Davis’ chest rather than his neck or head. But Redpath admitted in his cross-examination that he could have hit the Giant’s neck. The AFL argued a forceful blow with an open hand can be just as damaging as a closed fist. The tribunal’s decision was controversial, with the Bulldog missing the team’s final two games and ruled out of VFL finals and many suggesting the punishment did not fit the crime. Skipper Bob Murphy said he believed his teammate had been harshly done by.
OUR TAKE: Bad records make challenging very risky. That’s the system, and Redpath paid the price for being suspended only weeks prior. If he had his time again, we’re sure Redpath would maintain that he did not make contact with Davis’ neck as the video evidence did not appear to indicate as such.
Originally published as AFL MRP 2017: Lauren Wood reviews all the big MRP cases from the home and away season