Richmond star Dustin Martin successful at AFL Tribunal but will still miss clash with Port Adelaide
Richmond notched a win at the tribunal but will still be without Dustin Martin on Saturday after his off-the-ball and high elbow was deemed worthy of a one-week ban. Plus Nat Fyfe in doubt for the Derby and Kane Cornes gives the Crows a big whack. RECAP TUESDAY'S FOOTY NEWS
2 min read
April 9, 2019 - 6:40PM
Dustin Martin arrives for his Tribunal hearing.
Richmond notched a win at the tribunal but will still be without Dustin Martin on Saturday after his off-the-ball and high elbow was deemed worthy of a one-week ban.
But he could still be in the league’s sights today for his middle-finger salute and snorting sledge.
The star Tiger’s strike was classified as intentional conduct, medium impact and high contact by match review officer Michael Christian, but he succeeded in getting the charge downgraded to low impact and his penalty reduced from two weeks to one.
Giant Adam Kennedy – who was on the receiving end of the elbow – gave evidence via phone and described it as “a good knock”, but had maintained that he had stepped into Martin's path "to be a little bit of a nuisance", had expected impact and that he had first been struck on the shoulder.
Martin did not make any comment upon leaving the 90-minute hearing, with Richmond football boss Neil Balme lamenting the Brownlow medallist’s absence against Port Adelaide this weekend.
Dustin Martin after the Tribunal hearing.
“He still gets a week, which is a bit sad, but it was a good hearing,” he said.
Kennedy had suffered no ill-effects after the incident and said he had experienced no pain.
The AFL had argued that there had been potential to cause serious injury – including concussion or injury to the jaw, temple or cheekbone - while Richmond affirmed that it was a “thrusting, prodding motion with the forearm … a ‘get out of my way’ motion” that was “not a direct hit”.
Martin, 27, was also required to provide explanation for his middle-finger and snorting gesture directed at Giants ruck Shane Mumford by close of business on Tuesday, with the AFL set to rule on the incident today.
He could be fined by the league’s football operations department over the look of the move.
Saturday will mark the first time since 2010 that Richmond will be without all of Martin, skipper Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Alex Rance (knee) and Jack Riewoldt (wrist).
Coach Damien Hardwick had queried the attention given to Martin following Saturday’s loss to Greater Western Sydney, with Balme saying it simply came with the territory.
“(Martin) has just got to take a breath – he’s a very, very good player,” he said.
“He gets the treatment because that’s what he is – he’s just got to get past it. We’ve got to help him a bit with it, but it’d be nice if he did get a couple of extra frees. We’ll see what happens there.
“He’s got a week off which is disappointing for us, but in two weeks’ time we’ll be back at it and we’ll see if we can give him a bit of confidence.”
Updates
Tribunal report: Dusty wins, but will still miss
Ben Broad
LAUREN WOOD reports…
RICHMOND notched a win at the tribunal but will still be without Dustin Martin on Saturday after his off-the-ball and high elbow was deemed worthy of a one-week ban.
But he could still be in the league’s sights today for his middle-finger salute and snorting sledge.
The star Tiger’s strike was classified as intentional conduct, medium impact and high contact by match review officer Michael Christian, but he succeeded in getting the charge downgraded to low impact and his penalty reduced from two weeks to one.
Giant Adam Kennedy – who was on the receiving end of the elbow – gave evidence via phone and described it as “a good knock”, but had maintained that he had stepped into Martin's path "to be a little bit of a nuisance", had expected impact and that he had first been struck on the shoulder.
Martin did not make any comment upon leaving the 90-minute hearing, with Richmond football boss Neil Balme lamenting the Brownlow medallist’s absence against Port Adelaide this weekend.
“He still gets a week, which is a bit sad, but it was a good hearing,” he said.
Kennedy had suffered no ill-effects after the incident and said he had experienced no pain.
The AFL had argued that there had been potential to cause serious injury – including concussion or injury to the jaw, temple or cheekbone – while Richmond affirmed that it was a “thrusting, prodding motion with the forearm … a ‘get out of my way’ motion” that was “not a direct hit”.
Martin, 27, was also required to provide explanation for his middle-finger and snorting gesture directed at Giants ruck Shane Mumford by close of business on Tuesday, with the AFL set to rule on the incident today.
He could be fined by the league’s football operations department over the look of the move.
Saturday will mark the first time since 2010 that Richmond will be without all of Martin, skipper Trent Cotchin (hamstring), Alex Rance (knee) and Jack Riewoldt (wrist).
Coach Damien Hardwick had queried the attention given to Martin following Saturday’s loss to Greater Western Sydney, with Balme saying it simply came with the territory.
“(Martin) has just got to take a breath – he’s a very, very good player,” he said.
“He gets the treatment because that’s what he is – he’s just got to get past it. We’ve got to help him a bit with it, but it’d be nice if he did get a couple of extra frees. We’ll see what happens there.
“He’s got a week off which is disappointing for us, but in two weeks’ time we’ll be back at it and we’ll see if we can give him a bit of confidence.”
Balme: It was a good hearing
Ben Broad
The Tigers' footy boss on Dustin Martin's hearing, his on-field treatment and his 'please explain'.
Dusty's challenge is successful. He'll miss just one match.
LAUREN WOOD reports Richmond rolled the dice and won, with Dustin Martin to only miss one week for his errant elbow. The star Tiger’s strike was classified as intentional conduct, medium impact and high contact by match review officer Michael Christian, but he has succeeded in getting the charge downgraded to low impact.
Suspension cut to 1 match!
Dusty's challenge is successful. He'll miss just one match.
LAUREN WOOD reports Richmond rolled the dice and won, with Dustin Martin to only miss one week for his errant elbow. The star Tiger’s strike was classified as intentional conduct, medium impact and high contact by match review officer Michael Christian, but he has succeeded in getting the charge downgraded to low impact.
Waiting ... waiting ...
Ben Broad
AFL Tribunal members are still deliberating.
We'll bring the result to you as soon as they're back!
The Tigers face Port Adelaide and Sydney in the next fortnight.
AFL deliberating NOW!
Ben Broad
The tribunal is set to deliberate.
All they’re tasked with is considering whether the impact was medium – as charged – or low.
We have to leave the room now while they decide, but we'll be back very shortly with the result.
Don't go anywhere!
– LAUREN WOOD
Richmond: No malice in Dusty elbow
Ben Broad
LAUREN WOOD reports …
Richmond is giving its closing statement.
"It is a horizontal lifting of the forearm, not siding with the elbow which immediately alerts you to the possibility to serious injury occurring," Tovey says.
"This was a thrusting, prodding motion with the forearm. It was a ‘get out of my way’ motion."
The Tigers also say impact was anticipated and that Kennedy "deliberately got in Martin's way".
"It wasn't a direct hit," he says.
"This was not a case of players hurtling towards each other at speed," he says.
"There's very little velocity. It wasn’t as if Martin was running at Kennedy. He was basically trotting past and appears that he was about to head off the field."
He has also referenced Kennedy's comment that there had been no malice.
LAUREN WOOD reports …
We’re into closing statements.
The AFL’s counsel, Jeff Gleeson, says the tribunal guidelines determine that the panel must give strong consideration to the potential to cause serious injury, as is required with high strikes with “swinging clenched fists, raised forearm or elbow”.
He says they’re normally characterized as medium, and that the panel must consider what about this one is different.
“The answer … is nothing,” he said.
“On any view, it was at a location on the shoulder that could – and we know did – result in a blow to the head.
“Does that take it out of the usual case? In my submission, it doesn’t.
“This was a strike that was landed by a player who was running, who raised his arm and who threw his elbow. It wasn’t a static position … a brace. He threw his elbow. It’s not static. And when you’re running … and you throw an elbow at or close to the head, you are squarely in the ‘usual’ scenario. That is, you have the potential to cause serious injury.
“There was the potential for concussion. There was potential for damage to the jaw. There was potential for damage to the temple. There was potential for damage to the cheekbone.”
He also argues that despite Kennedy's assertion, he was stepping into Martin's path but was trying to impede the run – maybe not expecting a bump and definitely not an elbow.
The AFL says there are two parts of Kennedy's evidence that were telling – that he said "he went to elbow me and it slipped up", suggesting Martin went in with the elbow.
He was also asked whether the force was enough to knock him sideways.
"Yeah," Kennedy said.
"It was a good knock."
AFL: Dusty could have done serious damage
LAUREN WOOD reports …
We’re into closing statements.
The AFL’s counsel, Jeff Gleeson, says the tribunal guidelines determine that the panel must give strong consideration to the potential to cause serious injury, as is required with high strikes with “swinging clenched fists, raised forearm or elbow”.
He says they’re normally characterized as medium, and that the panel must consider what about this one is different.
“The answer … is nothing,” he said.
“On any view, it was at a location on the shoulder that could – and we know did – result in a blow to the head.
“Does that take it out of the usual case? In my submission, it doesn’t.
“This was a strike that was landed by a player who was running, who raised his arm and who threw his elbow. It wasn’t a static position … a brace. He threw his elbow. It’s not static. And when you’re running … and you throw an elbow at or close to the head, you are squarely in the ‘usual’ scenario. That is, you have the potential to cause serious injury.
“There was the potential for concussion. There was potential for damage to the jaw. There was potential for damage to the temple. There was potential for damage to the cheekbone.”
He also argues that despite Kennedy's assertion, he was stepping into Martin's path but was trying to impede the run – maybe not expecting a bump and definitely not an elbow.
The AFL says there are two parts of Kennedy's evidence that were telling – that he said "he went to elbow me and it slipped up", suggesting Martin went in with the elbow.
He was also asked whether the force was enough to knock him sideways.
"Yeah," Kennedy said.
"It was a good knock."
Lion's case compared with Dusty's
Ben Broad
They're now citing the example of an intentional, low impact, high hit – Mitch Robinson on Seb Ross.
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