Michael Christian is standing by some of his most controversial MRO calls of the 2018 season
MICHAEL Christian knew it would be a tough gig. But did he get more right than wrong? From Andrew Gaff to Jeremy Cameron and Tom Mitchell, LAUREN WOOD recaps the biggest MRO moments of the season.
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MICHAEL Christian knew it would be a tough gig.
But the league’s inaugural match review officer said he considered his first home and away season in the hot seat challenging but consistent.
As Christian embarks on his first finals series in the job, he has backed the most controversial call of the season — and the one with the biggest Brownlow ramifications.
“I knew (the job) would be hard,” Christian said.
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“I wasn’t coming into the role and thinking naively that everyone would agree with me.
“It’s been challenging, but I’ve enjoyed that challenge to try and help educate and to try and help try and explain decisions and help the broader football public try and understand a little bit about how decisions are arrived at.
“Of course, acknowledging all the way that not everyone is going to agree.”
A Sunday game in April at Etihad Stadium ensured that.
Hawthorn midfield star and TAB’s $1.60 Brownlow favourite Tom Mitchell was fined $1500 for his elbow on North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein, after Christian deemed the incident misconduct rather than striking.
As Brownlow night looms, Christian stands by his call.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“If you look back over the year, that fits very consistently in with a lot of other charges that have been laid where the impact has been negligible.
“And I think that’s the real key point — the classifiable table is about low impact.
“There’s got to be a level of impact to get there. When it’s negligible impact, then we’ve been consistently fining players under misconduct provisions.
“If that happened again in Round 23, that was the 22nd player of any team, the penalty would be the same.
“That’s really important. And that’s been supported to a large degree by the tribunal.”
Christian, who played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership, served on the match review panel until the system was overhauled at the end of last season.
He is contracted to be in the role again next season.
The job has ensured he has watched football differently, often looking “just behind the ball” in case of an incident.
There have been critics, particularly on social media.
“Strangely, when people come face-to-face with me, they’re most complimentary,” Christian, who deleted his Twitter account when he began the job, said.
“I’ve got a lot of support. I’m not immune to the social media world that there’s been a lot of criticism, as well, of decisions.
“But I’d like to think I roll with the punches and I understand people are really passionate about their players and clubs and … with the rules, there are subjectivities around the rules and guidelines.
“I understand people have great emotion attached to these decisions. They love their clubs, support their clubs. But at the end of it, by being able to explain decisions, it at least gives people an insight into why decisions are made.
“The other (positive) is that although we’ve seen a lot more tribunal hearings, for players and clubs that feel aggrieved with decisions made at match review level, they are able, without the penalty of the player missing another week, to go to the tribunal. That’s been really healthy for the game. It (the job) has been challenging but in some way it’s also been very rewarding.”
THE SIX BIGGEST MRO CALLS OF THE YEAR
ANDREW GAFF
Round 20, striking — 8 games at tribunal
The biggest case the tribunal had faced in years. As Docker Andrew Brayshaw sat at his parents’ Melbourne home with a broken jaw and displaced teeth that may never recover, the pressure was on. Christian had no choice other than to grade it as intentional contact with severe impact to the head, sending it straight to the tribunal. The sanction seemed about right given the context and climate around punching.
TOM MITCHELL
Round 5, misconduct — $1500 fine
The Brownlow Medal favourite set tongues wagging after behind-goal cameras captured his elbow to the head of North ruckman Todd Goldstein. It was off the ball but Christian assessed the contact at the low end of the spectrum, after Goldstein said it was “like a fly touching me”. He charged the Hawk with misconduct rather than striking as it did not meet the impact threshold.
RYAN BURTON
Round 5, rough conduct — cleared
The Hawks young gun chose to bump and blindsided Roo Shaun Higgins, who was knocked out and taken to hospital. Burton didn’t leave the ground and his shoulder collected Higgins to the body, but many argued he could have tackled and avoided the head clash. Player manager Peter Jess said the decision to clear Burton gave “a licence to continue the carnage” and “sends all the wrong messages”. The AFL said rules had been changed to permit “fair” bumps and Burton could not have reasonably foreseen the head clash.
JEREMY CAMERON
Round 14, striking — 5 games at tribunal
The blow to the head left young Lion Harris Andrews with an 8mm bleed on the brain. It couldn’t be anything but intentional contact with severe impact to the head, and Christian duly sent it straight to the tribunal. Cameron was adamant it was not his intentional. The act fuelled the argument for a send-off rule.
NIC NAITANUI
Round 7, rough conduct, one game
It was the tackle that split the football world. Naitanui’s challenge to a one-game ban was dismissed by the tribunal. He maintained he had practised the move, citing weekly gymnastics training. But it all came down to duty of care. Talkback lines went wild after the suggestion that players’ disparity of height and weight, such as here between the Eagle and Port’s Karl Amon, had to be considered as part of a tackler’s duty of care.
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Geelong’s Tom Hawkins started an apparent spate of making careless contact with an umpire, and was sent straight to the tribunal, where he copped a one-match ban. A week later, Carlton’s Curnow brothers were sent to the tribunal. Both were fined $1000. The AFL appealed. Ed Curnow was banned for one game and brother Charlie cleared, confusing many, including Patrick Dangerfield who slammed the original tribunal decisions as “farcical”.
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