Mark Robinson: MRP has made the wrong decision on Dangerfield’s tackle
GEELONG has accepted Patrick Dangerfield’s one-week ban. MARK ROBINSON says the MRP made a bad call — which might embarrass the AFL on Brownlow night.
Mark Robinson
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mark Robinson. Followed categories will be added to My News.
GEELONG star Patrick Dangerfield is now ineligible for this year’s Brownlow Medal.
Today, Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson spelt out why he believes the AFL’s match review panel made a mistake in charging the star Cat.
-----------------------------------------------------
IN nine weeks when Patrick Dangerfield polls the most votes on Brownlow Medal night, the AFL will be embarrassed.
On Monday, the MRP made a wrong decision.
The AFL should have corrected it and, seriously, there’s no point saying the MRP is an independent body because nobody believes the AFL doesn’t interfere in decision making anyway.
JAY CLARK: DANGER ON WRONG SIDE OF LINE
Unless the AFL appeals against the decision today — unlikely — then the AFL is satisfied with Monday’s decision.
That the head is sacrosanct is now the 11th Commandment.
Even if it’s an accident.
What exactly did Dangerfield do wrong?
DANGER: MRP CHALLENGE? TEAM FIRST
BROWNLOW: IT’S DUSTY’S TO LOSE
ROBBO: WHY DANGER HAS NO CASE TO ANSWER
‘FAIR TACKLE’: DANGER ON THE INCIDENT
JON RALPH: TIME TO DITCH ‘ARCHAIC’ BROWNLOW SYSTEM
He tackled Matthew Kreuzer, took hold of an arm and wrapped the other around Kreuzer, in a tackle coach Chris Scott described as exactly how his players are taught to tackle. Dangerfield even said after the match, when asked by reporters, that he couldn’t remember the incident such was its regularity in a football game.
Dangerfield took the falling Carlton big man to the ground and, he said, tried to roll Kreuzer to protect him. In fact, Dangerfield in motion was executing a duty of care.
It wasn’t malicious or loaded with intent to hurt.
Never reported in 196 games, Dangerfield has rarely, if ever, shown the propensity to physically hurt a player.
The outcome is more important than the action in today’s football. If Kreuzer wasn’t hurt, we wouldn’t be here. He was and, of course, there should be concern for head trauma.
But accidents do happen in football. Dangerfield wasn’t unreasonable in his actions and, to the point, believed Kreuzer still had the ball in his hand and Dangerfield actually appealed for a free kick for incorrect disposal.
That’s not the mind of a vicious player, your honour.
Just maybe, Kreuzer might have a low threshold to concussion. Maybe, it was low impact, but the outcome meant the MRP had to say it was medium impact. Maybe, it was damned unlucky.
We ask these players to go a million miles an hour, we abuse them when they’re soft, and when a player lays a tackle which unfortunately concusses another player, the world wants blood.
The penalty is out of whack.
A Brownlow Medal could now be lost because of a tackle which became an accident.
And imagine the PR disaster if Dangerfield — as the reigning medallist — presents this year’s Brownlow to a bloke who polled fewer votes than him.
Robbo: Bont is the AFL’s best player, but not my No. 1
Marcus Bontempelli would be Mark Robinson’s first picked if he was building a team from scratch. But the Bont comes in at No. 4 in his Top 50 of 2024. See who surpassed him and have your say.
The Tackle: What Lethal told Fagan – before and after epic flag
Leigh Matthews says history only remembers what happens on grand final day – so now Chris Fagan will get the recognition he deserves. MARK ROBINSON reviews the 2024 premiership legacy.