AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for Tuesday, June 5, 2018

FREMANTLE captain and Brownlow Medal favourite Nat Fyfe has failed to have his one-match ban for striking overturned while there was good news for a North Melbourne youngster. NEWS RE-CAP

THE AFL will be forced to endure another awkward Brownlow Medal night dreading an ineligible winner after favourite Nathan Fyfe had his one-match suspension upheld.

Fyfe had been the $3.50 favourite with as many as 17 potential votes but was unable to overturn his suspension at the AFL Tribunal. The Fremantle captain made a strong defence that he had been trying to fend off Levi Greenwood to avoid a broken jaw. INJURY LIST: WHO IS HURT AT YOUR CLUB? FIGHTING BACK: STRAIGHT SHOOTING SAINTS PLEASE RICHO SUPER LADDER: WHERE DOES YOUR CLUB RANK? But the tribunal jury found that he had other options instead of jumping off the ground to strike Greenwood with an elbow to his cheek. This year will be the fifth time in the past eight years the AFL will sweat on in ineligible winner who would join Corey McKernan and Chris Grant. Last year Dustin Martin won by three votes from the ineligible Patrick Dangerfield, in 2014 Matt Priddis won by a vote from Fyfe and in 2013 Gary Ablett won with Steve Johnson just three votes behind. The AFL already has the uncomfortable situation of Tom Mitchell as the new favourite after dodging suspension despite elbowing Todd Goldstein in the head in Round 5. Fyfe was adamant in his video testimony from West Australia that he was attempting to stop Greenwood potentially breaking his jaw. RE-CAP ALL THE DAY’S NEWS IN THE BLOG BELOW “Once I couldn’t win the ball I just put my forearm up and turned my head away from where the contact was coming and tried to brace myself for impact,’’ he said. “I was expecting contact to come through and hit me. My intention was to stop any glancing blows or contact coming through and hitting me in the teeth or nose or breaking my jaw. “I wanted to move my head out of the firing line to stop any contact coming through and hitting me. “Once the fist came out it was a reactionary response to try to protect my head and nose and teeth, to put my arm up as a barrier or shield to stop any contact making impact on my face. “I took a reactionary, self preservation, instinctive response to turn away, turn my body. Everything from there was reactionary.” Fyfe’s advocate Nick Tweedie showed four examples of players using their forearms or elbows in recent years but having the incidents classified as careless. “His evidence is honest, clear and consistent with footage. It’s undeniable he was in a real contest for the ball,’’ he said. Fyfe heads to tribunal But AFL advocate Jeff Gleeson said the AFL guidelines stated that when a player used an elbow to strike, it was “usually conclusive that the strike is intentional”. The Collingwood medical report showed that while Greenwood was assessed for a hit to the cheek, he played out the game. The hit occurred as the ball was punched over Fyfe’s head, with Gleeson arguing that if Fyfe had been running towards a teammate he would easily have avoided contact. Jeff Gleeson says the footage wasn’t consistent with Fyfe’s testimony he was protecting himself. “(Fyfe) launches off that left leg, raising the arm and there is only one consequence he must know is going to flow from it. He is going to get Greenwood in the head,’’ he said. “I suggest to you some aspects (of his testimony) are quite inconsistent with a reflexive defensive action.” Tribunal chairman David Jones made clear to the jury that Fyfe’s Brownlow eligibility was “not relevant and not a consideration” in assessing his penalty. Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >

Originally published as AFL Daily: Live rolling footy news from around Australia for Tuesday, June 5, 2018

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