Banned Mernda captain Andrew Smith calls for change to 16-week suspension threshold for players and officials

BANNED Mernda Football Club captain Andrew Smith has called for a review of the rule which has brought an end to his career.

Mernda captain Andrew Smith was recently banned from football for a second time after being suspended again.

BANNED Mernda Football Club captain Andrew Smith has called for a review of the rule which has brought an end to his career.

The 26-year-old was handed a lifetime ban after being found guilty of striking in the club’s Northern Football League loss to Thomastown earlier this year.

Smith reached the 16-week suspension threshold allowed for players and officials last June after copping a three-week ban for an incident in Mernda’s win over Hurstbridge.

He later won an appeal to return to the field, but was warned the lifetime ban would be reinstated if he offended again.

“If the rule was changed to help the next person that comes along, I think it would be a good thing,” Smith said.

“I don’t think you can be held accountable for things that happened eight years ago (or) nine years ago.

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He suggested a system which rewarded years of good behaviour could be adopted.

“I think maybe they could bring in something, a points system where over so many years of good behaviour you get a few weeks back or something like that,” he said.

“It might make people change the way they do go about it, knowing they can get their weeks back.”

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the deregistration system had “worked very well”.

“The AFL’s view is that the system works very well to ensure that repeat offenders with serious incidents aren’t able to move from league to league, and continue to act outside the rules of the game,” Keane said in a statement.

“It is our view that players at all levels need to be guaranteed that their opponents will be playing within the accepted standards of behaviour (and) the National Deregistration Policy has worked very well for the game.”

Smith said his lengthy suspension history had involved an accumulation of smaller incidents, denying he ever targeted opposition players.

After the ban was handed down, about 59 per cent of Leader readers said 16 weeks was a fair suspension limit.

Should the 16-week suspension threshold be reviewed? Tell us below.

Andrew Smith outmarks two Hurstbridge opponents last year. Picture: Richard Serong.

ONE OF SMITH’S FINAL ACTS ON THE FIELD

THE three-quarter-time huddle during last year’s Northern Football club Division 2 preliminary final still elicits strong emotions from Andrew Smith.

His beloved Mernda Football Club was on the cusp of a grand final appearance, but Smith was sidelined, serving his first lifetime ban.

Unable to affect the Demons’ assault on North Heidelberg on the field, the club captain played the only role he could at that moment and delivered a stirring speech to his charges.

“That was pretty emotional,” Smith said.

“I spoke to them before the game and three-quarter-time, told them I wish I could be out there. “It was pretty hard to deal with.”

After the match, which North Heidelberg won by 55 points, Mernda coach Brett Wilson spoke about Smith’s determination to stay involved despite being deregistered.

“I’m just doing my best to stay involved and help out,” Smith said.

“They still say I’m the captain of the club and it is tough at times.

“I’ve still got a lot to give football.”

Smith said he hoped to repay the faith Wilson had shown in him during an emotionally-draining year.