Carlton’s Ed and Charlie Curnow cleared over umpire contact a week after Tom Hawkins was banned

JUST a week after Tom Hawkins was banned for touching an umpire, Carlton’s Ed and Charlie Curnow have been cleared on the same charge that saw the Geelong star miss a week.

THE AFL judiciary is again clouded in confusion after Ed and Charlie Curnow were sensationally cleared of making intentional contact with umpires.

A week after Geelong forward Tom Hawkins copped a one-match for touching an official, the Blues’ brothers used identical arguments to earn a shock reprieve. Favourable umpire evidence and a Dom Sheed incident in a West Coast game last year left tribunal members Wayne Henwood, Jason Johnson and Stewart Loewe unable to say beyond doubt that the Curnows’ umpire contact was intentional. SEE HOW THE STUNNING NIGHT AT THE TRIBUNAL UNFOLDED AND SEE ALL THE REACTION IN THE BLOG BELOW North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell also had his suspension overturned when he was found not guilty of kneeing Richmond’s Reece Conca. But the Curnow decision sent shockwaves through Geelong, with both incidents found to be careless. Ed and Charlie were fined $1000 each and are free to play Melbourne this weekend, the brother’s shaking hands and sharing a fist bump after the verdicts. “We both highly respect the umpires and their position in the game as officiators and their importance to the game at all levels,” Ed Curnow said. Charlie Curnow said: “We understand the importance of umpires in our game.” Hawkins’ wife Emma tweeted “WTF???!!!” before later deleting her social media post, while the spearhead’s teammate Mitch Duncan followed with “Ummmm”. AFL legal counsel Andrew Woods argued both Carlton players had acted intentionally, but evidence from umpires Matt Stevic (Charlie) and Nathan Williamson (Ed) didn’t help the league’s case. Stevic said he couldn’t even remember contact being made, while Williamson said he had no issue with what occurred. Charlie Curnow said his attention was taken by the fight in front of him rather than the umpire. “I was focused on the fight in front of me ... just to break it up and I didn’t realise I touched him,” Charlie said. Asked when he realised, he said: “When I saw a photo and it was in paper.” Blues board member Marcus Clarke QC, representing the Curnows, said there was enough doubt over whether either case could be found to be intentional. Of Charlie, Clarke said: “It’s quite clear he’s not looking at the umpire at the time contact is made. He might look up before ... but the time he makes contact he’s looking at the scuffle. “It’s consistent with this being careless. It’s almost a brushing, it’s benign, it’s not done with any aggression, or to dispute an umpire decision. It’s so insignificant he doesn’t recall the incident occurring, which is also the state of mind of the umpire himself.” Challenged by Woods that he had his eyes squarely on umpire Williamson when he had his hand on his chest, Ed Curnow said he couldn’t remember. “Given I can’t see where my eyes are looking (on the vision) and Zach Merrett is right behind him (umpire), I have no recollection ... where I was looking,” Ed said. “I’d just given a free kick away against Merrett, my direct opponent, and I can remember the umpire explaining the situation and in resignation I said “I get it” and was looking to move on. “I didn’t dispute the decision. I was conscious of getting going again and getting back to the next contest and playing my role.” Ziebell’s contact with Conca was deemed below the force required. “It’s a good result. Obviously I didn’t do it on purpose and I’m glad the tribunal saw that and I’m free to play this weekend,” Ziebell said. LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >

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