Mernda exploring legal options in effort to prolong captain Andrew Smith’s career
A NORTHERN Football League club is preparing to head to court as it fights to save its captain’s playing career.
North
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MERNDA’S battle to prolong the career of its captain Andrew Smith could be headed to a courtroom.
The Demons have sought legal advice in recent weeks after Smith was deregistered for reaching the 16-week suspension threshold allowed for players and officials.
As the Leader revealed, Smith was banned from football for life after a three-week suspension for striking in Mernda’s Northern Football League win over Hurstbridge on June 28.
Demons coach Brett Wilson said the club would stand by its captain.
“We’re challenging a lot of systems at the moment and all we want is a bit of fairness,” Wilson said.
He said Smith had found it difficult to watch his teammates since being deregistered.
“I’ll be honest with you, the kid is so shattered to the point where he’s gotten disheartened by what he’s been through,” Wilson said.
“Being captain of the club, to go out the way he did is just near on a joke.”
The Division 2 club has conceded it does not expect Smith to play any further part in its 2014 campaign, with any legal battle likely to take months to be resolved.
He said the club remained “disappointed” by the process that led to Smith’s suspension.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen the footage or what not, on the slow-mo, but to go and get three weeks based on that … it’s a bit embarrassing,” he said.
Wilson said he could not reveal the grounds Mernda would challenge the decision on and it remained unclear when Smith’s case could be heard by a magistrate.
It had been expected the club would mount a challenge to the NFL tribunal’s suspension through AFL Victoria.
The 25-year-old had been suspended for 14 weeks during his career before the ban.
AFL Victoria spokesman David O’Neill confirmed Smith was deregistered on July 3, adding it had not heard from Mernda since.
The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on a possible court hearing.
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