By Andrew Wu
The AFL Tribunal has warned players of their duty of care to avoid inflicting head injuries to their peers, as Richmond defender Nathan Broad was rubbed out for four matches for rough conduct despite the Tigers’ plea for a reduced sentence on grounds of good character.
The Tigers had called for a three-game suspension based on Broad’s clean tribunal record and remorse but were spared a heavier sentence by pleading guilty and not arguing for the impact of his sling tackle on Adelaide’s Patrick Parnell to be downgraded.
Nathan Broad has received a suspension for this sling tackle on Adelaide’s Patrick Parnell. Credit: AAP
It took the panel of Jeff Gleeson, KC, Stewart Loewe and Jason Johnson about 20 minutes to hand the ban to Broad for his “unquestionably dangerous” tackle. Triple premiership player Broad will miss matches against Collingwood, Western Bulldogs, Sydney and Melbourne. The Tigers are already without first-choice defenders Robbie Tarrant, Josh Gibcus and Jayden Short due to injury.
Broad’s sanction is in line with the four-match suspensions meted out to Port Adelaide ruckman Scott Lycett and Melbourne forward Alex Neal-Bullen for dangerous tackles in 2021, which left their opponents concussed.
Crows forward Shane McAdam last week failed to have a three-match ban overturned on appeal for a bump on Greater Western Sydney’s Jacob Wehr, in which the Giants player was not concussed.
“We have said previously, and we repeat tonight, players must do all that they reasonably can not to cause avoidable head injuries to their fellow players,” tribunal chairman Gleeson said.
“Every player is now taken to be aware of the damaging and sometimes long-term consequences of concussion. If not for the early guilty plea to all elements of the charge and the clear contrition, the starting point for the sanction may have been more than four matches.”
The Tigers, represented by Michael Tovey, KC, sought to show Broad’s genuine remorse and contrition by reading an apology the player had sent to Parnell, whom he also contacted the day after the game.
The tribunal heard Broad had expressed regret to Crows forward Darcy Fogarty in the moments after the incident and later apologised in person to Crows coach Matthew Nicks and Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.
Tovey said Broad had written to Parnell: “I don’t want you to accept my apology, but I shouldn’t have done it. Sorry mate, it was shit house, hope you’re okay and recover well.”
Parnell will be sidelined for at least this weekend’s Showdown in line with the AFL’s concussion protocols, having already missed the final three quarters of Saturday’s game.
The Tigers believed Broad’s record in not being suspended in 150 AFL and state league matches as a defender warranted a one-game reduction. Broad, though, was fined $1500 for misconduct in 2018.
“It takes someone special to survive that environment year in year out without offending,” Tovey told the tribunal. “It has to involve an attitude which positively does not want to hurt other players.”
The AFL, through Nick Pane KC, said Broad’s record was not sufficiently “exceptional or compelling” to warrant a more lenient penalty.
“But taking into account all of the circumstances I have mentioned we start with a base sanction of four matches,” Gleeson said. “We have considered Broad’s good record but do not consider it sufficiently exceptional or compelling to justify a reduction from four matches.”
After the second hearing of the night, Gold Coast defender Charlie Ballard is free to face Geelong this week after having his striking charge on Essendon’s Matt Guelfi downgraded from intentional conduct to careless, resulting in a fine.