GWS Giants’ Toby Bedford unsuccessful in overturning dangerous tackle ban from Sydney Derby

The Giants will be without two of their most important players against Port Adelaide after the club was unsuccessful at the tribunal on Tuesday night.

Bedford has been unsuccessful in his attempt to overturn a one-game ban for a dangerous tackle on Ollie Florent. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Giants have been unsuccessful in their attempt to overturn Toby Bedford’s one-match ban for rough conduct.

Bedford was charged for a tackle on the Swans’ Ollie Florent in the second quarter of Saturday’s Sydney Derby.

The tackle was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, with the Giants’ lawyer Anais d’Arville stating the club was only challenging the conduct grading.

Bedford gave evidence to suggest that when making the tackle he thought only the right arm of Florent was pinned.

“I didn’t think I’d pinned (the left arm) but looking at the replay I do have my left hand around it,” Bedford said.

“I didn’t think I had it very tight at all and thought he could protect himself with the left arm.”

During the game, the field umpire agreed with Bedford as Florent was pinged for holding the ball.

The AFL’s council, Sally Flynn KC, argued that the incident constituted a dangerous tackle because Florent was in a vulnerable position with the arm pinned and he was rotated into the ground with excessive force.

“The execution of this particular tackle fell below the standard of what a reasonable player would think is prudent in the circumstances,” Flynn said.

Toby Bedford has played a key role for the Giants in the second half of the season. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Flynn also showed footage of Bedford completely leaving the ground to complete the tackle. The Giants contended that this was because it was the only way to ensure that Florent did not dispose of the ball.

Bedford and the Giants tried to argue that the tackle was all momentum, while also stating that because Florent’s left arm was not completely pinned, the option was also there for the Sydney player to release the ball and brace for impact with the ground.

“The thing that stopped Florent from breaking his fall was his desire to hang onto the football,” said d’Arville.

“Had he dropped it, he would have been able to break his fall. That would have created an illegal disposal, which is what Bedford wanted.”

The medical report from the Swans confirmed that Florent had suffered no impact from the incident. While Bedford also established that his Sydney rival’s comments at the time suggested he did not think it was a dangerous tackle.

“Florent said, ‘For f--- sake, that was the third time this half,’ because it was the third time I’d tackled him and got him holding the ball,” Bedford said.

Toby Bedford's one-match ban for rough conduct has been upheld by the Tribunal.

Full details: https://t.co/Ii5zri6wwGpic.twitter.com/6gzu2yR1RX

— AFL (@AFL) August 8, 2023

Ollie Florent and Toby Bedford had an ongoing battle throughout the Sydney Derby. Picture: Phil Hillyard

After almost 40 minutes of deliberation, the chair of the panel Renee Enbom KC confirmed that Bedford was unsuccessful in contesting that the tackle did not constitute careless conduct and as such, the one-match ban was upheld.

“Mr Bedford’s recollection that he only had a light grip on Mr Florent’s left arm is not consistent with the vision,” Enbom said.

“The vision captures both of Mr Florent’s arms pinned in the tackle, and a rotation-like movement to bring Mr Florent to the ground with excessive force.

“We find that in executing that tackle, Mr Bedford breached the duty of care he owed.”

The decision is a further blow to the Giants’ finals hopes ahead of this weekend’s clash against Port Adelaide.

Bedford leads the AFL for tackles inside 50 (2.4 per game) and has played a big part in the Giants’ return to form over the past two months.

He is the second player unavailable to take on Port after the Giants accepted a one-game ban for Brent Daniels’ dangerous tackle on Sydney’s Jake Lloyd.

Thankfully for the Giants, there is a chance Finn Callaghan will return after he was a late omission from the Derby.