Match review round 5: All the news and analysis from the MRO

The AFL has decided against appealing Charlie Cameron’s fine for a dangerous tackle after the tribunal, with senior AFL figures demanding the good character clause be dumped.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 11: Charlie Cameron of the Lions celebrates a goal during the 2024 AFL Round 05 match between the Melbourne Demons and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 11, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The AFL is under enormous pressure to ditch the good character clause which sensationally cleared Brisbane Lions’ forward Charlie Cameron to play Geelong on Saturday night.

Senior club figures dubbed the decision to let Cameron off a one-match dangerous tackle ban on character grounds one of the most bewildering tribunal decisions of the past decade.

The AFL considered appealing the decision but decided not to on Wednesday despite the mass confusion it generated among clubs on who would be considered for generous good character sanction downgrades for the rest of the season.

Cameron has been fined five times but not never previously suspended across his glittering 207-game career.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon conceded the clause which saved Cameron would be reviewed at season following the strong backlash on Wednesday.

Senior figures told this masthead it had to be dumped, preferably mid-season due to the inconsistency and grey area it created.

“I think that’s one of the things we would look at towards the end of the year,” Dillon said.

“What I will say from an AFL point of view is, I was really happy with the way the match review officer (Michael Christian) graded it with a one-match suspension and that was what we were hoping the outcome would be.’’

Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson used “exceptional and compelling circumstances” under the AFL’s tribunal guidelines to free Cameron and allow him to face the Cats at the Gabba.

Cameron was instead fined after pleading guilty, with the Lions successfully citing Cameron’s clean record having never been suspended during a 10-year AFL career.

Dillon said on Wednesday the AFL deemed a one-match penalty the right outcome, but would not attempt to have the verdict overturned.

“We’ve had a look at that and we think the discretion was there for the tribunal to use. But as I said, the MRO graded it a one-match suspension. That’s where we thought the right result would have been,” Dillon said.

Cameron’s advocate Adrian Anderson called on Carlton and Adelaide great Eddie Betts to provide a positive character reference, including his wonderful service to the community across his career.

But club officials were adamant on Wednesday players should be judged and penalised based on the incidents in question rather than their record.

Gleeson said on Tuesday night Cameron was a special case.

“Only 668 players of the 13,125 who have played the game at the elite level have played 200 games,” Gleeson said.

“Almost half of them have been suspended for one game or more.

“Cameron is clearly in the unusual category in this regard.”

EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES HELP CAMERON ESCAPE BAN

- Matt Turner

Brisbane goalsneak Charlie Cameron’s exemplary record has helped him get his one-match suspension downgraded to a fine, ensuring he is free to face Geelong.

In a surprise outcome on Tuesday night, the tribunal rejected the Lions’ push to downgrade the impact of Cameron’s tackle on Melbourne’s Jake Lever from medium to low, but found “exceptional and compelling circumstances” existed to reduce the ban.

Cameron had never been suspended during his 10-year, 207-game AFL career – a rarity for players with that level of experience, Brisbane argued.

Of the 13,125 VFL/AFL players in history, only 668 have reached the 200-match milestone and of those 355 had been banned for at least one match.

The Lions also used character references – from AFL great and ex-Crows teammate Eddie Betts and Indigenous elder Gregory Egert – to support their case.

Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson said the references showed Cameron was a role model and were not irrelevant when considering handing him his first suspension, particularly “where no injury was suffered and was neither intentional nor grossly negligent”.

Cameron pleaded guilty and conceded his conduct was careless.

But the tribunal found it to be on the lower range of carelessness, so used its discretion to fine, rather than suspend him.

Charlie Cameron has had his ban overturned. Picture: Getty Images

“Cameron knew Lever had one arm free, he is much smaller and lighter than Lever … and he lost control of the tackle … if he didn’t rotate 95kg of Jake Lever would’ve landed squarely on his 74kg frame,” Gleeson said.

“We take into account Cameron’s guilty plea and acceptance that he could and should have released Lever’s arm.

“Exceptional and compelling means what it says – it will be a rare case when all of the circumstances combine to result in an exercise of discretion to downgrade a sanction.

“This is such a case.

“Accordingly, we determine that the appropriate sanction is the fine that would be imposed on Cameron if this was graded as low impact.”

Cameron’s report stemmed from a tackle on ex-Crows teammate Lever during the first quarter of last Thursday night’s game at the MCG.

The Lions argued that Lever’s left arm was completely free to cushion his fall, his right arm was only partly pinned and that it was not the force of the tackle that made the Melbourne defender’s head snap back.

“His reaction off that is looking to the umpire for a free kick,” Cameron said.

“I felt like the force wasn’t there, it was all momentum in the tackle.”

The AFL’s counsel, Sally Flynn, said Lever could not use his right arm in any meaningful way because of the way Cameron tackled him.

She believed the Lion used excessive force and did not attempt to slow momentum.

Flynn also said Cameron’s tackling action had potential to cause a concussion or neck injury.

“This was an example of an inherently dangerous tackle that constitutes medium impact,” Flynn said.

Cameron’s availability is a big boost for the Lions as they prepare to host the unbeaten Cats on Saturday night.

YEO FREE TO PLAY

West Coast’s brilliant in-form midfielder Elliot Yeo has been cleared to take on Fremantle in this weekend’s Derby as the Lions challenged Charlie Cameron’s one-week rough conduct ban.

Yeo pinned both of Nick Vlastuin’s arms in a dumping tackle in the Eagles’ victory over Richmond and took him to ground in one continuous motion.

He did not lessen his grip or release one of the Richmond defender’s arms.

Under the MRO guidelines he risked a one-week ban for a medium-impact rough conduct charge given the excessive force.

But Yeo was cleared after a reverse angle of the incident showed Vlastuin’s head making only light contact with the ground.

Elliot Yeo celebrates after scoring a goal against the Tigers on Sunday. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Yeo has thrown off several seasons of horrible luck with injury to be one of the prime movers in the Eagles midfield as Haley Reid also emerges as a bone fide star.

The Eagles would believe they can win back-to-back games given Yeo’s availability after their rousing comeback against Richmond.

Fremantle has been in games against Carlton and Port Adelaide and leading with minutes to go but was run over by both of their opposition sides.

Brisbane on Monday decided to challenge Charlie Camern’s rough conduct charge, which had seen him hit with a one-week ban.

The Lions are likely to argue he allowed opponent Jake Lever a free arm to break his fall in the Thursday night clash.

PORT ASSISTANT DEFENDERS BUTTERS

Port Adelaide assistant coach Tyson Goldsack says Zak Butters went about his collision with Fremantle’s Bailey Banfield “the right way” as debate rages around why the Power star wasn’t cited and Adelaide’s Matt Crouch copped a ban for his own bump.

The Crows have accepted the one-match suspension Crouch was offered for his bump with Carlton’s Jack Carroll on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.

Butters was not cited at all for his bump on Banfield in the final minutes of the Power’s thrilling win over the Dockers at Adelaide Oval.

The difference in how the Match Review Officer viewed the two incidents drew the ire of two-time North Melbourne player David King, who suggested that “we’re protecting the Brownlow” rather than protecting the head.

Butters was critical in the Power’s thrilling win. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

King also said Crouch should have copped more than one-week for his bump.

Match Review Officer Michael Christian went on SEN on Monday and said the difference between the two was in the way Butters went to collect the football while Crouch “elected to bump and didn’t get his hands down to contest the ball”.

Goldsack said he had not watched the Crouch footage yet, but he thought Butters’ attempt to win the footy in the collision with Banfield was fair.

“I think the ball was there to win,” he said.

“He went about winning the ball, there was no malice in it.

“He is just a player who likes to crack in and win those 50/50 contests.

“I think the way he went about it was the right way, he got in low, he went to protect his body and win the ball and go from there.

“And what came of it was probably how it played out live.

“It is hard, I think it is just the intention of how you go into the contest.”

It is the second time Butters has had a close call with a bump this season.

In Round 1 he executed an ultimately legal bump on West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern, but this could have been a decent story if he caught the Eagle just a couple of centimetres higher.

After that game Power senior coach Ken Hinkley said “you shouldn’t probably elect to bump unless you really have to”.

Goldsack said it was something they had to remind players about constantly.

“It was at a crucial point of the game, he went in there and did what he knows best is how to get low and get after the ball,” he said.

“That is the difference, if you go into bump the player and attack the player rather than the ball then you are going to put yourself in a bit of strive.

“They know that is the risk they play, but if you chase the ball and you are doing it the right way you should be right more times than not.”

Crouch suspended as Butters learns his fate

– Jay Clark
Adelaide hard nut Matt Crouch has been suspended for Friday night’s clash against Essendon while Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters has been spared.

Crouch was hit with a one-match ban for ploughing into Carlton’s Jack Carroll in the Crows’ thrilling win over Carlton on Saturday night at Marvel Stadium.

The onballer bumped into Carroll’s head at a ground ball contest, meaning Matthew Nicks will have to rejig the midfield for the clash against the Bombers.

But Butters will breathe a sigh of relief after he was let off for his bump on Fremantle’s Bailey Banfield with two minutes left in Port’s last-gasp victory.

Matt Crouch has been suspended for a week. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Butters was not suspended because the Brownlow Medal fancy was seen to be making a genuine effort to pick up the ball when he crashed into Banfield at high speed.

It means Butters is free to take on premier Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday in a heavyweight battle of two of the best midfield units in the game.

Jason Horne-Francis, Butters and Connor Rozee have lit up the AFL so far this year and will lock horns with Magpies’ superstars Nick Daicos, Jordan De Goey and Scott Pendlebury.

Butters also remains eligible to win the Brownlow Medal after the $18 chance (TAB) finished equal-fourth last year.

Crows’ captain Jordan Dawson was fined $2500 for rough conduct on Blue Oliver Hollands and Brendon Zerk-Thatcher copped the same sanction for rough conduct on Fremantle’s Jye Amiss.

That is dangerous'

Matt Crouch gave away a free kick after he collected Jack Carroll in this contest.

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ANOTHER TRIBUNAL DATE LOOMS AS CAMERON HANDED BAN

– Jon Ralph

Brisbane’s livewire forward Charlie Cameron will have to head to the tribunal on Tuesday if he is to take on Geelong after being handed a one-week ban for his dumping tackle on Melbourne’s Jake Lever.

The Lions were desperately hoping he would avoid suspension given Lever had also thrown his head back in that tackle before he hit the MCG turf.

Cameron pinned Lever’s right arm, lifted him and dumped into the MCG turf in an action that was on the borderline of a week’s suspension and a fine.

The AFL fined Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin for a tackle on St Kilda’s Dan Butler that had less force and saw the Tigers defender releasing his grip on his opponent.

Charlie Cameron’s sling tackle of Jake Lever has resulted in a one-week ban. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But Cameron pinned Lever’s right arm all the way to the ground so the match review panel decided to suspend him for a careless, medium-impact charge that took into account the capacity to cause serious injury.

Given Vlastuin was only fined and Toby Greene escaped suspension for a similar tackle on Mac Andrew last week the Lions will assess their options of a tribunal case over the weekend.

The league had all but eradicated those dumping tackles in the early rounds of the season but Greene, Vlastuin and Cameron have all been involved in incidents since last round.

The AFL suspended 17 consecutive players for dumping tackles last year before the tribunal threw out cases involving Rory Laird and Adam Cerra.

It ruled that if a player had pinned one or two arms of an opponent but let go or lightened their grip as they took them to ground, it showed a duty of care.

Cameron did not let go of his grip on Cameron in a game where he bounced back to form with 3.2 and 17 disposals.

Chris Fagan’s Lions have now won back to back games after a trio of losses to start the season, with the Brisbane coach playing Cameron higher up the ground to get him back into action.

“I feel like that’s one of the best games we’ve played in a long time,” Fagan said post-match.

“We’ve played some pretty good games, but that was a pretty special effort I think.”

Originally published as Match review round 5: All the news and analysis from the MRO