How Jaidyn Stephenson’s 65m torpedo against St Kilda formed part of probe into his betting on three Collingwood games
The 65m torpedo Jaidyn Stephenson unloaded during the final minutes of Collingwood’s win over St Kilda formed part of the probe into his betting on AFL games.
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A month-long investigation into Jaidyn Stephenson’s performance included his mercurial 65m torpedo against St Kilda, slotted with only two minutes remaining.
The third major against the Saints could have helped him clinch a leg of a multi-bet.
Teammates swamped Stephenson after he nailed the long-range attempt at the MCG, but joy soon turned to despair as the Ferntree Gully product turned himself in to club officials for gambling on Collingwood games the next day.
BRING BACK THE BARREL!#AFLPiesSaints pic.twitter.com/rVRvuztRcJ
— AFL (@AFL) May 18, 2019
AFL investigators reviewed Stephenson’s performance in the three Collingwood games he bet on as part of a search for any suspicious passages of play.
The Rising Star winner was also grilled about his efforts in those games to assess whether the goal kicker conspired to manipulate the results on the field.
The league was satisfied Stephenson made no attempt to fix any outcomes despite betting on himself to kick a certain number of goals and for Collingwood to win by a specific margin in the bets.
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He also bet on teammates to collect certain number of possessions.
Stephenson fired in each of the three games he bet on kicking, kicking two goals against the Western Bulldogs (Round 4), one goal against Essendon (Round 6) and three goals against the Saints, before the devastating reality hit home.
His goal of the 23-minute mark of the last quarter against the Dogs was also pivotal as it helped the Pies book a 14-point win in the low-scoring arm-wrestle at Marvel Stadium.
While the league cleared him of any match-fixing breaches, Stephenson had naively broken the league’s betting protocols which prohibit players, coaches and staff from gambling on AFL games.
Stephenson was hit with the biggest wagering suspension in AFL history on Wednesday after self-reporting for three separate bets relating to Pies matches.
In handing down a 22-match sanction — 12 of which are suspended for the remainder of Stephenson’s career — AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said the 20-year-old “knew he was doing the wrong thing.”
Stephenson was also hit with a $20,000 fine after the League revealed he had bet on three Collingwood matches.
The sanction means the goalkicker will miss the remainder of the home and away season but will be free for selection ahead of the Pies’ first final.
Stephenson will be able to train with Collingwood during the 10-week suspension. He is unable to play at VFL level during the course of the ban.
Dillon revealed Stephenson had placed three same-game multi-bets in three separate matches this season in which he played. The bet stakes totalled $36. None of the bets were successful.
Stephenson self-reported to Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh on May 19, a day after placing the final of three wagers.
The matches in question were against the Western Bulldogs in Round 4, Essendon in Round 6 and St Kilda in Round 9.
The multi-bets included legs on:
— Collingwood to win
— Collingwood winning margin
— Stephenson to kick a goal
— Stephenson to kick three or more goals
— Collingwood teammates to kick a goal
— Collingwood teammates to kick two or more goals, and
— Collingwood teammates to have in excess of a number of disposals.
Stephenson gave cash to a friend on two occasions to place the bets on a mobile app, and on one occasion he placed the bet himself.
“The investigation concluded there was no evidence to suggest there was any intent to influence the outcomes within the contest in relation to the bets,” Dillon said.
“There is no clearer instruction, AFL players, club and league officials are banned from betting on Australian Rules Football in any form.
“If you breach them you will be penalised.
“Jaidyn’s actions have compromised the integrity of the game.”
Collingwood chief executive Mark Anderson said the club and the league were satisfied Stephenson’s play was all above board.
“The AFL went through the tapes of the matches that Jaidyn did gamble on and they reviewed it independently, we weren’t part of that process,” Anderson said.
“I can’t answer the specifics, but I know they looked at all of the footage of the matches and were very comfortable there was no impact or any potential Jaidyn impacted negatively on the result.
“They have cleared him of that. They have found him guilty (of betting breaches) because he admitted guilt around betting on the matches.”
An emotional Stephenson, who was adamant he didn’t bet on other sports, other than a flutter on the Melbourne spring carnival, said he did not think about his bets during the games.
“I didn’t think about it while I was out there,” Stephenson said.
“Obviously after I finished (the game) and we had our meeting with ‘Bucks’ (Nathan Buckley) I had a look at my phone and (said) ‘Ah, whoever it was, I didn’t hit what it was, I suppose’.”
AFL veteran Jordan Lewis said Stephenson was “just plain dumb” if he ignored the League’s rigorous gambling education regime and gambled on matches.
Lewis, the four-time premiership Hawk turned Demon, said the message from the AFL on gambling was “black and white”.
“We have education session after education session,” Lewis said on AFL360.
“You cannot place a bet on a VFL or AFL game — or any game. So, I’m not too sure what he was thinking.”
AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield said the players union would review its gambling education systems at a board meeting next week.
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“The education is there. I suppose as long as there’s young people within the game, then young people naturally are risk takers at heart, initially. All we can do is educate our players as best we possibly can,” Dangerfield said.
“I’d find it very difficult that you could miss the message but, that being said, there continues to be different incidents that happen.
“We’ve got to look at better ways to do a better job than what we currently are because it’s clearly not getting through to everyone.
“We’ll certainly review — are we doing as much as we possibly can, what else could we be doing? ... nitpick through our own programs and services on how we can do it better
“This issue in the AFL and society — there is not one answer that fits all.
“It hurts when you have another incident and this one will be interesting how it pans out.”
AFL chief Gillon McLachlan fronted the media on Tuesday, but refused to speak about the alleged investigation and wouldn’t confirm if an investigation was underway.
“I’m not going to make any comment about anything that may or may not be before (the) integrity department,” McLachlan said.
On Wednesday morning injured Pie Taylor Adams was asked if the Stephenson news might “derail” his club — on a mission to go one better after last year’s grand final loss.
“No,” Adams said.
“I don’t really want to speculate about what is going to happen before it does. I think the best thing for us to do at the moment as a footy club is to wait for it to pan out.
“Wait for it to play out, get all the facts, see what’s handed down to Jaidyn, if anything, and then deal with it from there.”
Adams told RSN Radio it was important the club supported Stephenson.
“First and foremost, I just want to give the kid a big hug, make sure he’s OK,” he said.
“I don’t know to what extent, the impact this is going to have on him or us.
“So I’m sort of hopeful it’s minimal. I think as a player and as a teammate and a friend of Jaidyn all I really care about at the moment is him and making sure that he’s OK.
“He’ll get a lot of support at the footy club and he’ll get a lot of support for as long as he needs it, depending on what happens with this situation.”
President Eddie McGuire refused to weigh in on the Pies’ betting scandal, staying largely silent during an almost 30-minute discussion on the issue on his morning breakfast radio program.
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It’s not the first time a Collingwood player has been investigated for having a bet.
Magpie Brayden Sier was hit with a suspended $5000 fine in 2018 for betting on AFL matches and events.
A number of bets, totalling less than $50 combined, were placed during the 2017 season.
In 2017, Demon Jake Melksham was fined $10,000 after “misleading AFL investigators”.
Melksham was slapped with the sanction after providing false evidence during an inquiry into activity on his betting account.
Pies defender Jack Crisp was in 2015 fined $5000 and ordered to undergo counselling for placing a $129 bet while at the Brisbane Lions. The league said Crisp’s full co-operation in the investigation aided his light sanction.
Collingwood premiership stars Heath Shaw and Nick Maxwell copped heavy punishment over betting infractions in 2011.
It involved a situation where defender Maxwell was to play in the forward line against Adelaide, not in his usual backline position.
Shaw was banned for 14 games, with six suspended, and fined $20,000, for a $10 bet at odds of $101.
Maxwell did not have a bet, but was fined $10,000, with half that suspended, after his family placed bets on him.
In another case Bomber Dean Wallis was banned from coaching or attending Essendon training for 14 matches for betting on an AFL game in 2011.
Wallis backed the Bombers to beat Sydney on August 6 — a game the Bombers won, but only after Adam Goodes missed a shot at goal after the siren.
The AFL’s national gambling policy states:
“Any person, who does not fully and strictly comply with the provisions of this policy, shall be dealt with in such manner as the Football Body or relevant tribunal in their absolute discretion think fit and without limitation may be fined or suspended from participating in any competition administered by the Football Body.”
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