Spotlight on AFL Tribunal over charges laid against Tom Hawkins and Nic Naitanui
WILL Tom Hawkins be banned for touching an umpire and will Nic Naitanui successfully have his one-match ban for a tackle overturned? The AFL tribunal has two huge decisions to make that will shape our game, MARK ROBINSON writes.
Mark Robinson
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THE AFL tribunal will have two major decisions to make tonight.
One involves Tom Hawkins. The other centres on Nic Naitanui.
As expected, West Coast has chosen to appeal the decision to suspend Nic Naitanui for a week for how he tackled Port Adelaide’s Karl Amon on Saturday.
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The incident was assessed as careless conduct with medium impact to the head so we can assume Port’s medical assessment didn’t help Nic Nat.
Naitanui’s tackle was aggressive and Amon was awarded the free kick for in the back and played on.
The MRO argued he drove Amon head first into the ground and didn’t try to turn him.
The opposite argument is the momentum of 201cm and 110kg ruckman carried a midfielder of 181cm and 79kg into the ground and that the ball underneath Amon took most of the contact anyhow.
That it was one action, not a slam and no discernible malice other than he was tackling with a fierce desire to win the ball. Others would argue he set out to win the ball and hurt Amon.
It’s a confusing business this match review operation.
In Round 5, North Melbourne’s Shaun Higgins was wiped out in a bump/block from Hawk Ryan Burton.
The AFL argued at the time the bump was part of the game and accidents happen.
So, we have an aggressive tackle and an aggressive bump and the consequences being one player is suspended for not knocking out an opponent and the other is not suspended for putting another player in hospital.
In that same game, Hawk Tom Mitchell was behind the play when he made a beeline for Todd Goldstein, jumped off the ground and elbowed Goldstein in the head.
Behind play, mind you, and Mitchell received a fine for misconduct.
Naitanui’s action was in play and in fast motion and, if we could borrow from the AFL, he could hardly “reasonably foresee” Amon’s head meeting the turf.
The second major decision confronting the AFL is how powerful the message they want to send about touching an umpire.
The burly Cats forward, who can experience brain fades, swiped at the hand of umpire Dean Margetts.
It was deliberate despite Hawkins saying it was instinctive and that he wasn’t aware it was an umpire.
For all the modern-day interpretations introduced to Australian rules, one has stood the test of time: Don’t touch the umpires.
It’s why Hawkins will be penalised. It will be a fine, a suspension or a fine and suspension.
The AFL will be an interested onlooker.
Match review officer Michael Christian and AFL boss Steve Hocking spoke on Saturday and agreed Hawkins’ act was intentional and sent it to the tribunal. They expect a suspension.
The AFL Tribunal, however, is an independent body, and it could find that the umpire invaded Hawkins’ space, it was reflex action from Hawkins, contact was minimal and accept the umpire didn’t report Hawkins or pay a 50m penalty. Which could lead to a fine.
Would a fine of, say, $10,000 or $20,000, satisfactorily send a message to everyone in football?
It’s always difficult to put the “look of the game” into a penalty bracket and we all must be vigilant in protecting umpires at all levels.
Suspect Hawkins will plead guilty, will argue as he has done in two interviews since that it was an accident, a reflex action, and no malice was involved.
Unfortunately for Hawkins, you can’t accidentally touch an umpire like he did.
A sizeable fine would be sufficient, but reckon the AFL tribunal will disagree.
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