EFL 2019: South Croydon star Matt Jones to miss semi-final against Blackburn
Rowville midfielder Ben Giobbi has accepted a two-week ban for a late hit on Chandler Medal fancy Matt Jones that sparked a melee in a heated Premier Division elimination final against South Croydon.
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South Croydon star Matt Jones will miss this weekend’s semi-final against Blackburn following a spiteful EFL Premier Division elimination final against Rowville on Sunday.
Jones was knocked out and was stretchered from the ground after a late hit in a marking contest with Rowville’s Ben Giobbi.
Giobbi was issued a yellow card and a melee broke out at Glen Waverley’s Central Reserve.
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The game was stopped as umpires attempted to take control.
Giobbi was reported and has accepted a two-week ban offered as a set penalty by the league.
Teammate Anthony Brolic and South Croydon’s Daniel King were also given yellow cards for separate incidents.
There was a second melee when Giobbi returned to the field and King was given a yellow card.
Jones was on track for another best-afield showing.
The former Melbourne midfielder will be a leading chance for this year’s Chandler Medal as the league’s best and fairest player.
Vision of the incident and melees were removed from the match footage on the league’s website.
“There was clearly a physical element to it and I’m not (for) a second saying blokes were targeted or anything like that, but it certainly was unsavoury,” South Croydon coach Luke McCormick said.
“(It’s) not good for the game, put it that way.
“It’s the sort of thing I don’t think we should have in the game these days but in the heat of the moment, what players do and what players don’t do, it’s up to the umpires to make those calls.
“We can look from the vision as to what we think.”
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Rowville coach John Brown said Giobbi had no intent to hurt Jones.
He said the incident was in play but Giobbi deserved a yellow card.
“It was certainly an accidental collision,” he said.
“Our player made a genuine attempt to spoil the ball and may have been slightly late but certainly had no malice intent.”
McCormick said Jones appeared to be collected with a “very late spoil”.
“There’s not much more I can say about it,” he said.
McCormick said Jones would likely miss Sunday’s first semi-final at Glen Waverley’s Central Reserve.
“We’ve got to do what’s right for his welfare but it doesn’t look good,” he said.
“(He) gets tagged every week. It happens and that’s fine and that’s what I’d do to him, to an extent, but not …
“It was disappointing … that’s footy I guess.”
South Croydon won the game 12.15 (87) to 7.8 (50) to knock Rowville out of the flag race.
The EFL was contacted for comment.
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