AFL round 1 match review news: Mason Redman and James Sicily cop one-match bans
Hawthorn have been dealt a massive blow with star defender James Sicily finding himself in MRO trouble yet again. Plus Mason Redman learns his fate for his high strike on a Hawk.
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Hawthorn captain James Sicily is back in trouble for his ill-discipline after receiving a one-match suspension for kicking Essendon’s Andrew McGrath on Saturday.
The Hawks’ superstar will miss the clash against Melbourne on Saturday after he was booked for laying his boot into the Bombers’ defender in an ugly skirmish.
Matt Guelfi had just kicked a first-term goal when Sicily upended McGrath with a bump and then flung out his right boot and kicked McGrath in the back of his legs and backside.
There remains a decent chance the Hawks could downgrade the impact from medium to low at the tribunal on Tuesday in a bid to clear Sicily to take on the Demons at the MCG.
The Hawks seem certain to fight the charge on the grounds Sicily’s kick to McGrath’s body was only light and not a serious blow which caused any damage.
The incident happened after a group of Essendon players got in the face of Sicily who had a rare quiet day gathering 11 touches and only two marks in the 24-point loss to the Bombers.
Match review officer Michael Christian graded the kicking incident intentional conduct and medium impact to McGrath’s body.
And Essendon defender Mason Redman will also miss the trip to Sydney to take on the Swans after he was handed a one-match ban for striking Jai Newcombe to the head off the ball.
Redman’s blow was graded as intentional, low impact and high contact, resulting in a one-match ban unless he can argue it was not a strike but a push to the face at the tribunal.
The AFL takes a dim view of intentional strikes to players’ heads.
The Bombers could challenge the match review officer’s verdict in a bid to clear Redman, who is one of the club’s most important players, to play the Swans at the SCG.
The Sicily report is a major blow to the Hawks’ defensive stocks and a repeat of some of the ill-discipline which plagued Sicily early in his career.
Sicily was involved in several hot-headed incidents in his early days but has matured in recent years to help lead the Hawks’ rebuild under coach Sam Mitchell.
Sicily told Fairfax at the weekend he had learned to control his emotions, but the latest incident is a setback.
“I feel like every year I’ve got a little bit better with how I manage my emotions, and it is a pretty crazy transition personally,” Sicily said.
“I think that’s just a by-product of the club ... I definitely wouldn’t have got there just being me, who I was when I was 18.
“The people who came through Hawthorn helped shape me.”
Kicking charges are extremely rare in the AFL.
Sicily was suspended twice last season for a shoulder to the head of Saint Anthony Caminiti and a controversial tackle on Brisbane Lion Hugh McCluggage.
Gold Coast’s Malcolm Rosas was also booked for a headbutt to Adelaide’s Max Michalanney on Saturday night.
Originally published as AFL round 1 match review news: Mason Redman and James Sicily cop one-match bans
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