Old Eltham Collegians lose Matt Keys for the rest of the NFL Division 3 season
Old Eltham Collegians suffers a massive blow on the eve of the NFL Division 3 finals with a star player rubbed out for the rest of the season.
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Old Eltham Collegians’ premiership hopes have been dealt a massive blow.
The Turtles will be without star forward Matthew Keys for the rest of the NFL Division 3 season after he was slapped with a five-week suspension on Tuesday.
With just two games remaining in the home-and-away season and a three-week finals series, Keys will be unavailable until 2023.
The former Eltham swingman was hit with a lengthy ban – the third-longest handed out this season – for rough conduct after Collegians’ 70-point loss to South Morang on Saturday.
In a dramatic aftermath, Lions Josh Renehan and Liam Failla have also been suspended.
Renehan will miss the rest of the home-and-away season after being hit with a two-week striking ban, while Failla will miss the top-of-the-table blockbuster against Laurimar with a one-match rough conduct charge.
Keys was shown a red card for a late, head-high hit on Lion James Hewson after he had disposed of the ball in the 17th minute of the first quarter.
Keys appears to catch Hewson with his shoulder, leaving the Lions forward dazed for several minutes before being helped from the field.
Surprisingly, in apparent contradiction of AFL Victoria’s concussion protocols, he played out the game and finished with two goals.
Keys was one of Old Eltham’s biggest off-season recruits, arriving from cross-town rival Eltham.
The tall utility played 12 games and kicked 27 goals, including a critical bag of three in the Round 12 one-point win over ladder-leader Laurimar.
His experience and ability to influence games at both ends will be a major loss for the Turtles heading into finals.
The loss to South Morang all but ended the club’s chances of finish top two and instead locks in an elimination final against Kilmore.
Collegians travel to Clancy Reserve on Saturday to face the Blues in a finals preview.
Kilmore has won both meetings this season, by 10 points in Round 1 and eight points in Round 9.
Meanwhile, Mernda continues to rack up suspensions with under-19 coach Marcus Black the latest to come under scrutiny.
Black has been suspended for four matches after being charged with misconduct following the Demons’ Division 3 win over Watsonia.
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Will Crouch was last week hit with a four-week ban after being cited for striking and rough conduct.
Heidelberg’s Ashleigh Riley was hit with the second biggest suspension of the season, six weeks, for rough conduct.
Riley will miss a significant part of the 2023 season after the Tigers were knocked out of the Division 3 women’s finals by Laurimar on Sunday.
Macleod mid-season recruit James Condello will miss two matches after being charged with rough conduct in the Kangaroos’ loss to Montmorency.
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