Tom Lynch has striking charge thrown out at AFL tribunal
Saints legend Nick Riewoldt has lost faith in the match review officer after Tom Lynch avoided a ban - and even a fine - when he convinced the AFL Tribunal his “strike” on Michael Hurley was nothing more than a shove.
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St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt has slammed the AFL’s handling of Tom Lynch’s latest striking charge as a complete waste of time and money, saying he has lost faith in match review officer Michael Christian.
Lynch is free to take on West Coast on Thursday night after his contact on Bomber Michael Hurley was deemed a common fend-off by the AFL Tribunal rather than a strike to Hurley’s throat.
Christian referred it to the tribunal under AFL rules on the basis Lynch was a repeat offender following three previous charges this season.
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Riewoldt said the expensive exercise was a total waste on the day the AFL and some clubs made significant staff cutbacks across the industry because of the current economic crisis.
The St Kilda great said the AFL should have acted more sensibly given Lynch’s latest offence on Saturday night appeared to be minor from the outset.
“It was a bit of a waste of time,” Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.
“It was bizarre on the day the AFL had swept the broom through their own offices and a heap of people have lost their jobs that we would waste time and money on something like this.
“If you look at it in isolation it was absolutely clear Tom Lynch was never going to get a week for that incident.
“So it was a complete abdication of responsibility from the MRO.
“I think it questions the ability to continue in the role next year.”
Lynch successfully argued he shoved Essendon’s Michael Hurley in the chest in the act of play rather than delivering a forceful blow to the Bomber defender’s throat on Saturday night.
He was adamant he was pushing Hurley off in an effort to create separation after the Bomber whacked his hand in the fourth term.
Tribunal chairman David Jones on Monday night said the tribunal was not convinced it was a forceful blow to Hurley’s throat.
“The jury was not clearly satisfied on the balance of probabilities that player Lynch delivered a blow to player Hurley and consequently the jury finds player Lynch not guilty of the charge of striking,” Jones said.
“It is the view of the jury, based upon the evidence, that player Lynch was fending off player Hurley with his forearm to the chest region.”
It sets up a mouth-watering duel against Eagles premiership star Jeremy McGovern at Metricon Stadium as Richmond attempt to pinch the Eagles’ spot in the top-four.
McGovern played his best game of the season to nullify Greater Western Sydney on Sunday night in Perth with his brilliant intercept marking.
The Tigers, who are set to welcome back gun midfielders Shane Edwards and Dion Prestia in the run home to the finals, trail West Coast by two points on the AFL ladder.
Lynch was up at the tribunal on his fourth charge of the season and sixth striking charge since 2016, but Tigers’ coach Damien Hardwick is adamant Lynch plays his best football when he is on the edge.
It was that record which prompted match review panel officer Michael Christian to refer Lynch straight to the tribunal after putting the Richmond forward on notice last week following two separate incidents with Sam Collins and Jarrod Witts in the win over Gold Coast.
Lynch also pushed Brisbane’s Alex Witherden’s head into the ground two weeks prior, prompting a stinging rebuke from Brisbane teammate Mitch Robinson.
But the tribunal on Monday night was urged to forget Lynch’s record and simply decide whether the blow to Hurley was of sufficient force to constitute a striking charge.
Lynch said the contact with Hurley was the type of shove which happened regularly in games to try and ward off grappling defenders.
He said Hurley firstly “whacked my hands” in an attempt to stop Lynch from pushing off.
“I want to keep separation on him so I lean in and push on his chest,” Lynch said.
Lynch flatly rejected he made contact with Hurley’s throat, other than a potential brush from his fingers.
AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson QC urged the tribunal to dismiss Lynch’s evidence, saying the vision clearly showed the Tiger strike a blow to Hurley’s throat.
“In frustration, he threw a punch,” Gleeson said.
“If there was no contact to the throat or chin, it was rather a miraculous piece of quick thinking from Hurley to clutch at his throat.”
Lynch’s advocate Sam Toovey said the contact was clearly a “shove or a push” and a common football act rather than anything dangerous.
Hurley did not suffer an injury and was not expected to miss any training time from the incident.
Meanwhile, Geelong forward Luke Dahlhaus will miss Friday night’s clash against his old side the Western Bulldogs after copping a one-match ban from the MRO.
Dahlhaus was rubbed out after it was ruled his tackle on Adelaide onballer Matt Crouch on Sunday was careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
Former Cat and now Brisbane Lion forward Lincoln McCarthy will also miss a week after he was found guilty of rough conduct against St Kilda’s Ben Patton in their Gabba clash on Saturday.
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TIGERS FINED FOR STAGING
– Lauren Wood
Richmond pair Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin have been fined for staging.
Grimes – who was also fined another $750 for striking – fell forwards after an apparent push from Bomber Jake Stringer, and was hit with a $750 fine.
It was Grimes’ second offence within 12 months, after he was hit with a $1000 penalty for staging in last year’s semi-final against Brisbane at the Gabba.
Vlastuin was also slapped with a $500 fine for staging following an incident involving Essendon ruck Tom Bellchambers in the final term of the Tigers’ Dreamtime win in Darwin.
Christian handed out a total of $7500 in fines – which have been cut by 50 per cent due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Demon Ed Langdon was fined for a dangerous tackle on Laitham Vandermeer, while Port Adelaide pair Hamish Hartlett and Charlie Dixon were sanctioned for forceful front-on conduct and misconduct respectively.
Dixon, teammate Zak Butters and Hawks Liam Shiels, Blake Hardwick and James Worpel were all fined for involvement in a melee.
Sam Powell-Pepper has been offered a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Ben McEvoy.
For those asking, Chrisso has the power to refer someone to the tribunal for three or more subsequent fines. It’s basically a ratbags rule. If he had let Lynch off with 4 fines people would say he is soft. Now Lynch can defend himself at the tribunal & potentially get off https://t.co/jq5FCOzKKt
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) August 23, 2020
Originally published as Tom Lynch has striking charge thrown out at AFL tribunal