Brisbane v Collingwood: AFL backs umps’ crackdown on abuse after Harris Andrews 50m penalty
A forlorn Harris Andrews threw his arms out in disgust after giving away a free kick against the Pies. The umpire paid a 50m penalty for ‘abuse’. But has it been consistent?
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The AFL has backed in its hard-line crackdown on umpire abuse after Harris Andrews was penalised with a 50m penalty for putting his hands out to question a decision.
Umpire Andrew Stephens penalised Andrews after he held Darcy Moore then committed the simple offence of putting his hands up to query the free kick.
SCROLL DOWN: MRO RULES ON LION’S CRUNCHING HIT ON YOUNG PIE
As Hawthorn four-premiership star Jordan Lewis told Fox Footy on Friday: “If a player can’t put his hands out without speaking and that is a 50m penalty for me that is too far.”
But the AFL told the Herald Sun on Friday it would continue its crackdown on umpire abuse, which had widespread support from the industry over the summer.
A spokesperson said the AFL fully supported the umpires to pay free kicks against umpire abuse.
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The AFL believes players know what is acceptable and what crosses the line, with players encouraged not to react to any free kicks or umpiring decisions.
The league said on Friday players had been brilliant in their implementation of the new rules.
But it believes the same rules that applied in the pre-season _ Tom McDonald was handed a 50m penalty for throwing his arms out in protest _ will still apply through the season.
“Arms out is 50m mate,” Stephens told a bemused Andrews as he dragged him back to the goal line.
Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge called on the AFL to be consistent if they penalised Andrews.
“They brought it in for the first weekend of the pre-season games and the umpires were so hard on it, but then players have been able to get away week-in week-out,” Hodge said.
“That looked like he just turned around to talk to the umpire, so if they’re gonna do it, they need to be firm on everyone.”
It came as Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson told Fox Footy Collingwood should have kept matchwinner Jordan De Goey on the ground in the final moments of a narrow loss.
De Goey left the field with the Pies within touching distance but did not return from a rotation with two minutes and fifty seconds remaining.
“Craig McRae has made his first blunder as a senior coach by not stopping that rotation,” he said.
“He has got the hot hand, he is on fire, three goals in the last quarter, throw him straight into that next centre bounce. They lost that centre bounce.
“For me your star player who is on fire does not go on the ground for three minutes for a rotation and not go back on. It’s a huge mistake by the Pies in the crunch time of a game they could have won.”
Lion avoids suspension for crunching hit on Pie young gun
—Jon Ralph
Brisbane defender Darcy Gardiner has been spared an AFL suspension for his crunching collision with Josh Daicos even after the MRO assessed the act as intentional.
Gardiner will be available to take on Gold Coast next Sunday with his act assessed as low impact, intentional and to the body.
His rough conduct charge would normally have been considered careless on precedent in the same manner as all late spoils and high bumps.
It was so late and reckless Michael Christian assessed it as intentional but given Daicos bounced up to take his kick it was also low impact.
It means he can accept a $2000 fine, with Christian’s hands effectively tied even if he wanted to give him a suspension.
Gardiner would be an excellent chance to have a suspension overturned on precedent if the AFL had handed him a one-week ban.
Even Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge, part of the Lions coaching team, had suggested on Thursday night he deserved a week.
“You could tell as soon as he did it, (Collingwood have) come in to push and shove and he just stood there, he didn’t argue. He knew he did the wrong thing there. It’s fair to say he’s going to have a week or two rest.”
Collingwood’s Mason Cox was charged with kneeing Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich but also avoided suspension given the low impact hit to the body.
He will be available for Anzac Day with a $2000 fine for an early plea, but with Brody Mihocek returning from Covid protocols he might be forced out.
Collingwood will assess Darcy Cameron’s rib injury, with Jack Ginnivan (soreness) and Beau McCreery (hip) expected to be available to take on Essendon.
Has Cox experiment run its course?
—Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Mason Cox’s place in Collingwood’s side has been questioned as the Magpies criticise Jason Dunstall for making light of the key forward’s glasses.
Cox managed just four disposals, two marks, seven hit-outs and a behind against Brisbane on Thursday night.
North Melbourne legend David King questioned why the Pies brought Cox in.
“I’m wondering what the function is that Mason Cox plays for the Pies. Because there’s just no influence,” King said on Fox Footy.
“He’s 31 years of age – the experiment has run its course. 78 games he’s played of AFL footy, and just too regularly (struggles).
“I’m just looking at what he’s done. He hasn’t shifted a game or shifted a course of a game for a long time.
“I’m just worried they’ve gone really tall tonight, they’ve got two ruckmen already, do they need Mason Cox down there? I think the guy has no presence, no influence forward of centre, I just think this experiment has run its course.”
Hawthorn legend Dunstall used chocolate eggs to make light of Cox’s glasses.
“Don’t write him off, because we’ll miss the black shades and … ‘I’m Batman!’,” Dunstall said while putting the chocolate eggs in front of his eyes.
“We’ve got to have him mate, it’s entertainment. He competes, he’s tall.”
The 31-year-old American is wearing prescription glasses while playing this year after six different surgeries on his eyes in the past three years.
On Twitter Collingwood responded to Dunstall.
“Making a joke out of an injury that has seriously impacted Mason’s life isn’t appropriate. Be better,” the Pies tweeted.
Making a joke out of an injury that has seriously impacted Mason's life isn't appropriate. Be better.
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) April 14, 2022
MCRAE BLASTS ‘HONOURABLE LOSSES’ IN LATEST PIES FAILURE
Collingwood senior coach Craig McRae said he is not interested in “honourable losses” after the Magpies fought hard but failed to overhaul Brisbane at the Gabba on Easter Thursday.
The Pies battled across the four quarters but ultimately paid the price for a six-goal burst from Brisbane to start the second term.
Collingwood kicked the last three goals of the game to get within seven points of the home side who moved to 4-1 while the Pies slipped to 2-3 with their third-straight loss.
“We want to win. Let’s face it, honourable losses are one thing (but) if you have 22 honourable losses, you finish bottom,’’ McRae said.
“We are really proud of the effort, just the ability to keep coming against a really good opposition up here, a big game. We had opportunities to maybe get walked of the park but we hung in there. I reckon we learned a lot about ourselves tonight.
“We are here to win, we didn’t get the job done and we’ve got work to do.
“We walk away without the four points. Are we disappointed? Yep. Do we need to get better? Yes, but we’ve really learned a lot about ourselves tonight about taking more risks when we are down.
“Let’s be braver. Let’s be prepared to fail having a crack. That’s our message.
“I’ve really liked this week how we stifled momentum. It’s the first time this year we’ve done that. We’ve got some growth in us. “
McRae said Scott Pendlebury’s experience and size were some of the factors behind sending the skipper to Brisbane’s Lachie Neale. Pendlebury had success in the first term keeping Neale to four touches but his time on the ground started to throw out the rotations and they reverted to a team tag.
“We are here to get better, we are here to try things,’’ he said.
Darcy Cameron suffered suspected cracked ribs while the Pies expect to welcome back the forward trio of Brody Mihocek, Beau McCreery, Jack Ginnivan for ANZAC Day.
Meanwhile, Brisbane senior coach Chris Fagan lauded Neale’s 33-disposal outing with 14 disposals coming in the second term when the Lions savaged the Pies and set up their matchwinning advantage.
“He (Neale) was enormous in the second quarter. He was the one that really got us going around clearance and around contested ball. He put the team on his shoulders and carried us I reckon,’’ Fagan said.
“It was brilliant to see. That’s what players like him do, they might have a bad quarter but they find a way to get themselves back in the game.
“On his 200th game it was great he was able to do that.
“In terms of football, I’ve never seen anyone work on their game any harder than what Lachie does. He’s always trying to get the best out of himself and tonight he showed the way for us.”
Fagan said the Lions overcame a “shonky” first term and found their “mojo around the contest” to get back into the game.
Overall, he is happy where Brisbane sits at 4-1.
“We’ve got some areas we need to work on that were evident tonight. We’ve improved some areas as well,’’ Fagan said.
“Monday’s review won’t necessarily be about this game, but maybe what we’re doing well at this point in time and where we can improve.
“It’s a great start to the year to be honest, to be 4-1. This time last year we were 2-3, trying to scrape our way back into the top eight. It’s a good launching pad, that’s all it is.”
Two face scrutiny as Neale grounds gritty Magpies
Milestone man Lachie Neale lifted Brisbane to a hard-fought seven-point win over a brave Collingwood in an Easter Thursday slugfest at the Gabba.
The Lions trailed by 14 and led by as much as 25 in the seesawing contest where Brisbane threatened to kick away on a number of occasions only for the run-and-gun Pies to drag themselves back into it.
Brisbane defender Darcy Gardiner was reported for rough conduct after a late bump, while Pies forward Mason Cox came under fire for arriving late at a marking contest and kneeing Brandon Starcevich in the back.
In his 200th senior match, Neale started sluggishly with four touches in the first quarter in his one-on-one match-up with Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury but exploded with 14 touches in the second term to spearhead Brisbane’s critical six-goal burst.
Neale finished with 33 disposals, one goal, 12 contested possessions, four tackles and four clearances to help Brisbane move to 4-1 while Collingwood is better than their 2-3 record suggests.
Dayne Zorko, Joe Daniher and Hugh McCluggage were immense for Brisbane while Jordan De Goey booted four goals for the Pies who were also well served by Jack Crisp, Nick Daicos, Josh Daicos, Pendlebury and 200-game defender Jeremy Howe.
Collingwood cut Brisbane’s lead to just 10 points midway through the final term after goals to De Goey and Darcy Moore who was thrown forward.
However, Daniher’s fourth goal of the night and Daniel McStay’s first gave Brisbane some breathing room before Collingwood came again through De Goey.
Lions captain Zorko had 12 disposals in the third quarter when Brisbane extended their buffer to 18 at the last change.
Brisbane defender Marcus Adams kicked his first goal as a Lion and first major since 2017 to help the home side clear out by 25 points before a late Collingwood comeback bore fruit with a Nathan Kreuger goal.
Brisbane went on a breathtaking and brief blitz and kicked the first six goals of the second term to turn a 12-point quarter-time deficit in to a 24-point cushion before some steadying goals to the Pies to cut the Lions lead to 13 points at halftime.
It was swift and savage as the Lions piled on the pain after Collingwood had the better of it in the first term with 20 inside 50 entries to Brisbane’s 11. The Magpies got more of the footy — with Josh Daicos leading the charge — and used it better than the clunky home side.
McINNES WAIT WORTH IT
Collingwood forward Reef McInnes had to wait for his first career goal in his third career game. He missed his first two shots at goal in the first term when the Pies were on top but he kicked truly in the second term and again in the third with a booming drop punt to keep the Pies within reach of the Lions.
EASTER THURSDAY A HUGE WINNER
There was a genuine buzz around the Gabba for the Easter Thursday fixture. It was a genuine blockbuster timeslot during the Brisbane’s glory years but it was taken off the club during its steep decline into a decade of darkness. It’s well and truly back. A sellout crowd of 32, 312 piled into the ground with Lions and Pies fans alike packing the pubs, bars and restaurants near the Gabba pre-game while a host of Brisbane greats such as Simon Black, Jason Akermanis and Clark “Mr September” Keating were on hand for the pre-match function. The atmosphere was electric all night.
TALL STORY
It was a night for the tall timber. Collingwood had five players at 200cm or taller — Mason Cox, Brodie Grundy, Darcy Moore, Jordan Roughead and Darcy Cameron. But the Lions were no slouches on the lanky front with Oscar McInerney, Darcy Fort, Joe Daniher and Harris Andrews all 200cm or over. It was not the selection risk you might imagine. There was no heavy dew on the Gabba surface with conditions ideal for football and the big men had no trouble in the air.
SCOREBOARD
LIONS 3.2 9.4 12.5 15.8 (98)
PIES: 5.2 7.3 9.5 14.7 (91)
GOALKICKERS
Lions: Daniher 4, Bailey 3, Lyons, Neale, Ah Chee, Rayner, Fort, Cameron, Adams, McStay
Pies: De Goey 4, McInnes 2, Kreuger 2, Moore 2, Hoskin-Elliott, Cameron, J. Daicos, Wilson.
BEST
Lions: Neale, McCluggage, Daniher, Zorko, Bailey, Starcevich, Ah Chee
Pies: De Goey, Crisp, Pendlebury, Howe, Moore, J Daicos, N Daicos
VOTES
3: Lachie Neale
2: Hugh McCluggage
1: Jordan De Goey
Lion slammed after ugly hit on young Pie
Brisbane defender Darcy Gardiner has been reported for rough conduct during a high-octane first quarter at the Gabba.
Gardiner will face MRO scrutiny for a late charge into the back of Josh Daicos after the Pies midfielder marked in front of goal.
Daicos clutched the back of his head as he sat up after the contact, and Gardiner was immediately reported.
Fox Footy experts Leigh Montagna and David King said Gardiner was looking at time on the sidelines for the hit.
“I think minimum one, you can’t be doing that … that’s intentional, he’s got him late and you can see there he wanted to hurt Daicos,” Montagna said.
“One plus a stupidity tax takes him up to two I think,” King said.
Pies forward Mason Cox has also come under fire after arriving late at a marking contest and kneeing Brandon Starcevich in the back.
It capped off a “dirty” first half from Cox, Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy.
“It’s probably more likely a fine than a suspension but that’s not a great look from Mason.”
Ralph said Gardiner was also likely to cop a fine rather than a suspension as he didn’t hit Daicos high, but Jason Dunstall called for both players to receive bans.
“When a guy’s there attacking the ball and you’re hitting an unprotected back deliberately and you’ve got no chance of getting the ball, it wouldn’t bother me if they both copped a week,” Dunstall said.
Led by an outstanding term from Lachie Neale, Brisbane kicked six unanswered goals at the start of the second quarter to surge ahead.
Two late goals to Collingwood, including a first career goal for Reef McInnes, cut the deficit back to 13 points at halftime.
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