Northern Football League tribunal comes down heavy, doles out 34 weeks
One of Bundoora’s biggest weapons will miss a crucial stretch of games, while a West Preston-Lakeside reserves player cops a big whack.
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Bundoora will be without one of its most important players for the next three weeks.
NFL Division 1 Team of the Year ruckman Hamish Shepheard will miss clashes against Whittlesea, Heidelberg and Hurstbridge after being handed two separate striking bans at the Northern Football League tribunal.
Shepheard copped a two-week and one-week ban after clashing with West Preston-Lakeside pair Matt Harmon and Hayden Gill on Saturday.
While the Bulls will go into the matches against Whittlesea and Hurstbridge as heavy favourites, Shepheard’s absence will be felt against ladder-leader Heidelberg.
Shepheard was Bundoora’s joint top vote-getter in last year’s Rosbrook Medal, alongside Luke Collins.
Shepheard’s clash with Harmon and Gill then led to an ugly incident on the sidelines with Roosters reserve grade player Jedd Crapper.
Crapper has been suspended for four weeks for misconduct after he confronted and grabbed Shepheard by the jumper over the fence.
Shepheard did not retaliate and the pair were separated by trainers from both teams without further incident.
Footage of the incident has been edited out of the official match vision.
Elsewhere, Watsonia’s loss to St Mary’s has been compounded with three players banned.
The Saints’ decision to challenge Riley Taylor and Daniel Annetta’s rough conduct charges proved ill-advised.
Taylor has been hit with a six-week ban over two separate incidents and Annetta will miss three weeks after initially being offered two weeks for each charge.
When combined Taylor’s ban is the equal largest of the season, joining Mernda pair Riley Black and Josh Delaney, and he will be eligible to return in Round 17.
Teammate Adrian Saccuzzo accepted his two-match rough conduct ban.
Meanwhile, Epping has had two players suspended for rough conduct.
Match-winning hero Alec Buchan and Adrian Cirianni will miss the next two games after accepting two-match bans.
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Buchan kicked a last-gasp behind to secure a potential season-saving win for the Pingers against Fitzroy Stars but he and Cirianni will now sit out games against Diamond Creek and Panton Hill.
Fitzroy Stars’ David Smith will serve a two-match for striking.
Banyule’s Bailey Mitchell copped a one-match ban for rough conduct.
In all 34 matches worth of bans were handed out across the league’s grades.
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