Swans, Dane Rampe overturn two-game ban for rough conduct

The Swans were adamant immediately that they would be challenging Dane Rampe’s ban from their win over the Bulldogs, and their faith has been rewarded.

Dane Rampe during Sydney Swans training at the SCG on March 24, 2023. Photo by Phil Hillyard (Image Supplied for Editorial Use only – **NO ON SALES** – ©Phil Hillyard )

Sydney’s Dane Rampe is free to play this weekend against Fremantle after having his two-match ban for rough conduct thrown out by the AFL Tribunal.

The Swans’ co-captain was charged for an off-the-ball incident on Lachie McNeil in the win over the Western Bulldogs.

The charge was graded as careless conduct, high impact and high contact, with the Swans only challenging the classification of careless conduct.

Rampe gave evidence where he confirmed that he had not intended to make contact with McNeil, instead that he was taking the defensive line of McNeil’s outside shoulder.

Sydney also submitted a number of stills from the incident which they argued showed McNeil was a realistic option for the ball and that it was McNeil who instigated the contact while Rampe maintained his same line.

“This was accidental contact from a football incident,” said Sydney’s representative Duncan Miller.

“This was not due to a want of reasonable care on the part of Mr Rampe. What he is doing is no more or less than moving at speed to get into the appropriate defensive position which is outside the right shoulder of McNeil.”

Rampe will be free to play against the Dockers. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“As the ball leaves the area, I go to slow down,” added Rampe. “Next thing I’ve noticed, McNeil has turned into me.

“He’s propped off his left foot and taken a change of direction which ended up being towards me. I ended up going in the same trajectory I was running before.”

The AFL’s submissions focused on the fact that McNeil would not have been expecting contact. Their representative Sam Bird also argued that Rampe had enough time to change direction, a point which the Swans disputed by the fact the Sydney defender couldn’t completely brace for impact.

After just over 15 minutes of deliberation, chair Renee Enbom was satisfied with the case put forward by the Swans and the Tribunal agreed that it was McNeil who initiated the contact.

They also found that Rampe was well within his rights to brace for contact.

“We find that there was accidental conduct between the two players and Rampe could not have avoided it,” Enbom said.