EDFL 2019: Glenroy’s Matt Walker cops six-week suspension
Glenroy’s hopes of avoiding relegation from Premier Division have suffered a “savage blow” after one of the club’s star midfielders copped a hefty ban at the tribunal.
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Glenroy has leapt to the defence of Matt Walker after the gun midfielder was handed a hefty suspension at the EDFL tribunal.
Walker was handed a six-week ban after he was found guilty of “intentionally or carelessly making unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the face of an opponent”.
The incident occurred during the second quarter of the Roys’ 95-point loss to Aberfeldie in Round 9.
While Glenroy president Murray Nilsson conceded Walker “got it wrong”, the club believed the penalty was excessive.
Walker will be unavailable until the Roys’ Round 17 clash against Maribyrnong Park in a sizeable blow to their hopes of avoiding relegation from Premier Division.
They claimed four victories in the top flight last season after winning the 2017 Division 1 flag, but have a 1-1-8 record this year and are locked in a battle with Avondale Heights and Airport West to escape the drop.
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“Dual best and fairest winner, one of the better ball-winners in the competition — it’s a savage blow,” Nilsson said.
“But Matt put his hand up. He got a bump very wrong.
“He’s got an exemplary record — comp best and fairest, club best and fairest — but at the moment that doesn’t seem to count for anything at the tribunal.
“We understand he had to get weeks, but we thought six was harsh.
“Having said that, we don’t take away from the fact the Aberfeldie player was hurt. He put his hand up and said, ‘look, got that wrong’ and apologised.”
Nilsson ruled out any prospect of an appeal.
Walker has been a standout performer at Glenroy, winning its best and fairest in 2016 and 2018 and finishing second in 2017.
He also grabbed the Division 2 league best and fairest award as a 17-year-old while playing for Roxburgh Park in 2015.
“He’s one of a group of half-a-dozen or so young players who we think are very good players,” Nilsson said.
“They’re all equally as important as each other. When you get them all together, it’s handy.
“You’ve got teams who have been in the A Grade competition for decades and they’ve built that depth over time.
“We’ve definitely improved our depth from last year, when we really struggled for numbers in the twos and we had injuries.
“This year has been very good in that area, but 15 or 16 out at the moment is stretching it.”
Glenroy will host Avondale Heights in a crucial clash in Round 11, with the Heights prevailing by 14 points last time the pair met.
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