Doncaster East footballer cleared of shaking the goalpost charge at Eastern Football League tribunal

A SUBURBAN footballer charged with shaking a goalpost while a player was lining up for goal was last night cleared by the tribunal.

A footballer was last night cleared of shaking the goalpost. Picture: Andy Rogers

A SUBURBAN footballer charged with shaking a goalpost while a player was lining up for goal was last night cleared by the tribunal.

Doncaster East under-19s footballer George Vlahos was offered a one-game suspension but challenged the report at the Eastern Football League tribunal.

It took the tribunal about 20 minutes to overturn the charge, with Vlahos free to play in the Lions’ next game on April 22 against Upper Ferntree Gully.

DONCASTER EAST FOOTBALLER TO FACE EASTERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE TRIBUNAL FOR SHAKING THE GOALPOST

Doncaster East under-19s coach Matt Vaiano said Vlahos was relieved with the verdict.

“He’s pretty happy with it, he was just nervous about it because he wasn’t sure what was happening at the start when he got reported,” Vaiano said.

“He is just a young kid but he is really happy with it and happy to be out there with the boys again.”

The club argued Vlahos unintentionally shook the goalpost when he had his hand against it in an attempt to run and jump at the football.

The umpire red-carded Vlahos for the rest of the game, however another umpire overruled the red card with a yellow, which sent him from the ground for 20 minutes.

“The verdict was that we did shake the post but it just wasn’t intentional, which was the charge,” Vaiano said.

It comes almost 25 years after Fitzroy player Darren Wheildon copped a one-match AFL ban for shaking a post while a player was kicking for goal.

Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher was also fined $600 in 2001 for shaking the goalpost when the Bombers came from 69 points behind to defeat North Melbourne.