AFL 2021: Match review officer latest, Joel Selwood escapes ban; David King says silly stuff must go

David King wants the AFL to put a stop to Joel Selwood-like incidents, but says if its fair dinkum, the league must make it clear that such acts are out to stop repeat offenders.

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 18: Joel Selwood of the Cats looks on during the 2021 AFL Round 14 match between the Geelong Cats and the Western Bulldogs at GMHBA Stadium on June 18, 2021 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

North Melbourne premiership great David King wants the AFL to put an immediate stop to incidents that two of the game’s biggest stars escaped with fines for at the weekend.

Debate raged last week about David Mackay’s bump that broke Saint Hunter Clark’s jaw — which was found to be legal — but the focus has shifted to serial offenders who walk the match review tightrope.

Joel Selwood (twice) and Toby Greene each avoided suspension in Round 14 for what Fox Footy’s King described as non-football-related acts.

Selwood drew the ire of Western Bulldogs fans with separate ugly incidents where Bailey Dale and Taylor Duryea were on the receiving end, but can move on after paying $3000 worth of sanctions.

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Speaking on 3AW, Collingwood legend Tony Shaw described Selwood’s hit to Dale’s head — while the Dog was under two players — as “a little sneako punch” and the Duryea one as an intentional leg stomp.

Greene can accept a $2000 fine for a stomach punch to Carlton’s Nic Newman as they ran alongside one another at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.

Greene’s coach, Leon Cameron, passionately defended his gun forward post-match, saying he had worked hard to remove those types of actions from his game in recent seasons.

Another Giant, Shane Mumford, copped a misconduct fine a week earlier for a coathanger tackle on young Roo Tarryn Thomas after the umpire blew his whistle.

“They’re all little things and just short of suspensions, but they’re just hanging around and constantly part of our Monday wash-up,” King told the News Corp.

Joel Selwood avoided suspensionfor what Fox Footy’s David King described as non-football-related acts.

“I’m getting frustrated, because we toy with the idea rather than stamping this stuff out.

“If you’re the AFL, you come out and say, ‘We’ve had enough. We’re not going to whack Joel necessarily and we’re not going to nail this action, but that’s it, boys’.

“There needs to be a line in the sand that, from now on, a punch in the guts or a whack to the head or anything that’s just a fraction past the line of acceptable football conduct is a one-week suspension.”

The AFL’s head of football operations, Steve Hocking, floated the possibility of post-season rule changes after Mackay’s not guilty verdict, but King doesn’t want league headquarters to wait on this other matter.

King said the issue went beyond any of Selwood, Greene or Mumford and was about what all players, especially experienced ones, knew they could get away with.

He argues fines are only a “hindrance” and not a genuine deterrent that will prevent players repeating an action.

“Let the players know, ‘Here’s your warning, the amnesty is done, so everyone’s aware and knows,” he said.

“If you’re silly enough to do it next week, it’s a stupidity tax.”

‘Toby Greene would have got a month for that’

Serial offender Toby Greene has narrowly averted a suspension for his off-the-ball strike on Nic Newman as Tony Shaw lashed Joel Selwood’s “shocking” cheap shots on Friday night.

Greene dodged a suspension for his hit on Newman, with the four-goal hero instead offered a $3000 fine for an incident that took place well behind play.

Changes to MRO guidelines now allow Michael Christian to elevate the force of behind-the-play body strikes as well as punches to the head.

But Greene only added to his $26,000 in previous fines and will be available to take on Hawthorn next week.

Christian vowed several years ago that every player who punched a rival would be penalised in some manner.

Those penalties can be misconduct fines, fines under the AFL’s table of offences, or suspensions, but Greene lived to fight another day.

He was not fined for his slight umpire contact on umpire Jacob Mollison, with the MRO assessing that his actions “did not constitute a reportable offence”.

Joel Selwood makes contact with the head of Bulldog Bailey Dale (inset).

Geelong captain Joel Selwood was given the benefit of the doubt after his strike on Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale, which was ruled more of a pushing motion than a strike.

Collingwood legend Tony Shaw told 3AW on Sunday Selwood’s actions were “shocking” despite him evading suspension.

“One was stomping on a leg. It was intentional. The other one looked like a little sneako punch. If that was Toby Greene he would be getting three or four weeks,” he said.

“I know Joel has been a great player but when I saw that I thought, ‘that’s shocking’. When I saw the (David Mackay) bump the week before I thought, ‘that’s great football’,” he said.

“If he had stood on (the leg of the Bulldogs player) the right way he could have cracked a bone and the other one he scraped the face. They are two of the worst things you could do on a football field and I was taken aback that maybe he didn’t get a week at least.”

Toby Greene has been reported for striking after this incident. #AFLGiantsBluespic.twitter.com/tupm9RovUr

— AFL (@AFL) June 19, 2021

Selwood can consider himself extremely lucky not to have been suspended for the acts.

Meanwhile, Brisbane midfielder Mitch Robinson was offered a misconduct fine for a punch on North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri.

SELWOOD ESCAPES WITH MRO FINES

— Scott Gullan

Geelong captain Joel Selwood has been fined over two separate incidents out of Friday night’s after-the-siren victory over the Western Bulldogs.

The Cats skipper is free to play in Thursday night’s blockbuster against Brisbane after match review officer Michael Christian imposed fines for misconduct and rough conduct.

In the first case Selwood made contact with the head of Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale while he was on the ground and then appeared to make a scraping action near his face although the footage was inconclusive.

Man these are such a bad look. The stuff that tarnishes reputations. pic.twitter.com/20X7KOdEms

— James Mottershead (@mottersjames) June 19, 2021

The incident fuelled great debate on social media and was compared to Toby Greene’s infamous face massage on Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli two years where he was sent straight to the tribunal and fined $7500.

But Christian classified it as just misconduct which with an early plea was only a $1000 fine.

The second incident saw Selwood appear to step on the leg of Bulldogs defender Taylor Duryea’s while he was on the ground after a marking contest.

This time he was hit with a $2000 fine with the MRP assessing the incident as careless conduct, low impact and body contact.