Steve Johnson faces suspension after high bump on Josh Kennedy in qualifying final
THIS is the bottom line: if you run through a contest and bump a rival high and hard enough for a concussion test, you deserve to miss a week.
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STEVE Johnson’s darting eyes are the ultimate giveaway.
The mercurial AFL goalsneak might run with a limp and a waddle but his eyes are constantly on the move.
They see the play unfolding before anyone else and allow Johnson to cut a corner or dart through a gap no one believed existed.
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On Saturday afternoon, as the ball flew far over the head of Sydney’s Josh Kennedy, they settled on one target.
That target was Kennedy, with Johnson’s crosshairs fixed not on the Sherrin but one of Sydney’s most dynamic playmakers.
That damning fact should show Johnson’s intent, as instead of spinning away to chase the ball he continued his run to collect Kennedy high.
When you watch the incident — as the MRP will over and again — it is impossible to think he will be let off with a $1500 fine and place in the preliminary final.
The most likely outcome when Johnson gets that fateful call will be an assessment of careless impact and medium force.
That will saddle Johnson with a two-match ban that he can argue down to one match with a guilty plea.
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This is the bottom line: if you run through a contest and take out a rival in a bump that's high and hard enough for a concussion test, you deserve to miss a week.
MRP member Michael Christian is so deliberately non-controversial a sinkhole could swallow up an entire AFL club and he would likely play it down as a story.
Yet his damning assessment of the bumping rules on Saturday showed Johnson gets a holiday, even if Christian wouldn’t talk specifically about this case.
“If you elect to bump and you had another alternative, you need to do it fairly. When you run past the ball and bump it needs to be legal,” he said.
Luke Ball, on last year’s match review panel, was just as definitive.
If you run through a contest and take out a rival in a bump that's high and hard enough for a concussion test, you deserve to miss a week.
“Instead of pulling up and going around him he goes through him and hits an unsuspecting Kennedy. He is going to be looked at.”
The MRP won’t assess it as intentional because Johnson was running into the contest before Kurt Tippett and Shane Mumford jostle then knock the ball over Kennedy’s head.
But by the time Johnson hits Kennedy the ball is a full three or four metres over the Sydney star’s head and yet Johnson’s eyes are still locked onto him.
The chances of the incident being assessed as high impact are also lessened by Kennedy’s recovery, but on precedent the damage is hard enough for a medium verdict.
Johnson’s teammate Shane Mumford should be luckier, the force and intent of his sling tackle on Kurt Tippett confused by a number of factors.
Did Tippett’s head hit the ground, was there a double movement, was he just attempting to dispossess a player trying to escape Mumford in the tackle?
And given Tippett might have already been playing with a cracked jaw, how can the AFL judge what damage was done?
Mumford could easily escape with a $1500 fine at worst for a careless, low-impact tackle.
JON RALPH’S MATCH REVIEW PANEL PREDICTIONS
Steve Johnson (GWS). Careless, medium impact bump to Josh Kennedy’s head. Two weeks down to one week with guilty plea.
Shane Mumford (GWS). Careless, low impact dangerous tackle against Kurt Tippett. $1500 fine down to $1000 with guilty plea
Kyle Hartigan (Adelaide). Intentional, low impact trip on Lindsay Thomas. $2500 fine (second offence in 2016) to $1500 with guilty plea
Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn). Intentional, low impact punch to Joel Selwood. $1500 fine down to $1000 with guilty plea
Luke Hodge (Hawthorn). Intentional, low impact punch to Joel Selwood. $1500 fine to $1000 with guilty plea
Tom Ruggles (Geelong). Intentional, low impact punch to Cyril Rioli. $1500 fine to $1000 with guilty plea
Originally published as Steve Johnson faces suspension after high bump on Josh Kennedy in qualifying final
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