Mernda skipper Andrew Smith’s career could be over after three-week ban puts him over deregistration threshold

EXCLUSIVE: Mernda is fighting to save the career of captain Andrew Smith after he reached the 16-week suspension threshold and was deregistered.

Chris Tarrant at NFL Game

MERNDA will ask AFL Victoria to save the career of its captain Andrew Smith after he was deregistered following a three-week ban for striking.

Smith was yellow carded and subsequently reported after an incident in the Demons’ 27-point win over Hurstbridge on June 28 and fronted the Northern Football League tribunal last week.

The penalty caused the 25-year-old to exceed the 16-week threshold set for players and officials before they are deregistered.

Mernda coach Brett Wilson said the club would explore all avenues to keep Smith playing.

“We feel that we didn’t get a good deal ... so we’re going through the legal system at the minute,” Wilson said.

“We’re going to AFL Victoria and then will see what happens from there from legal advice.”

Wilson said Smith “played the game pretty hard”, but Mernda hadn’t deemed his actions against Hurstbridge worthy of a three-week penalty.

“He’s been pretty good around the club, he’s been upbeat with the blokes,” he said.

“He’s said to them ‘just because I’m done it doesn’t mean there’s a death in the family’.”

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The Leader understands Smith could be re-registered if Mernda is able to convince an AFL Victoria appeals board he should be allowed to continue playing.

Wilson said the Demons hadn’t given up hope of Smith playing finals this year.

NFL spokesman Samuel Zito confirmed Smith was called before the tribunal after Hurstbridge requested footage from its clash with the Demons be reviewed.

Zito said Smith was offered a set two-week ban.

But he was left with no choice but to fight the suspension as the set penalty would have taken his record from 14 to 16 weeks.

AFL Victoria is yet to receive a request for an appeal from Mernda.