How James Sicily avoided long suspension for kneeing Joel Selwood
HAWTHORN defender James Sicily has been offered a one-match suspension for his knee to the head of Geelong skipper Joel Selwood on Easter Monday, but one thing saved him from a much longer ban.
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JAMES Sicily’s knee to Joel Selwood’s head was not deemed forceful enough to warrant a lengthy suspension, according to the match review officer.
The Hawthorn defender delivered a crude blow to the head of the Geelong skipper as they tangled in the fourth term on Easter Monday.
Selwood immediately remonstrated with Sicily and appeared to speak briefly with the umpires sitting next to the interchange when he went to the bench only minutes later.
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The pair also exchanged words on the final siren but shook hands.
But the medical report said Selwood did not suffer an injury in the skirmish, saving Sicily a more lengthy suspension.
Match review officer Michael Christian told the Herald Sun Sicily clearly had other options instead of dropping his knee into Selwood’s head.
Christian felt given the capacity to cause serious injury Sicily’s charge could have been elevated to medium force.
But because he did not drive his knee into Selwood’s head with force it was instead judged low impact and deliberate.
“Selwood had his right arm hooked on Sicily’s left leg and was holding him down,” he said.
“For a moment he was trying to get up. Then Selwood let go and Sicily had his left arm and right arm down and could have easily put his leg on the ground.
“Instead he put his knee into his head. In terms of conduct it could have been careless instead of intentional but we came to the conclusion he meant to do it.
“He didn’t really forcefully thrust his knee into his head, if you look at the front-on vision he placed it down. But he didn’t drive it, it wasn’t overly forceful.
“If he had driven it Selwood could have ended with a fractured eye socket. We are trying not to dance around what is obvious.
“It could have been assessed as careless, but we believe he meant to do it.”
Christian and AFL football boss Steve Hocking are keen to crack down on intentional and off-the-ball incidents, with Sicily’s knee drop ticking both boxes.
Geelong’s inspirational skipper was able to play out the tense last term on Monday as Hawthorn notched a thrilling one-point win at the MCG.
It meant Christian graded the incident as low impact and intentional conduct, triggering a one-game ban.
If the contact was more severe, or Selwood suffered an injury in the incident, it would have attracted a more lengthy ban. Medium impact triggers a two-match suspension.
Selwood is widely seen as one of the game’s most brave players for his fearsome attack on the ball, but his courage has also come at a cost.
The superstar Cat has received numerous head hits in his glittering career but subsequent brain scans have cleared him of any concussion concerns.
He was once described in a tribunal case as the “league leader of bleeders” due to repeated cuts to the head.
Hawthorn wingman Isaac Smith yesterday backed Sicily’s approach to the game, even though the hot-headed backman’s competitive streak has sometimes left him in hot water.
“Sis plays with a lot of passion ... arguably Hawthorn’s best captain ever (Luke) Hodge played with a fair bit of passion as well,” Smith said.
“It’s a game that you’ve got to play close to the line and sometimes blokes will step over it and sometimes they won’t.
“I think the fans love seeing passion, aggression and spirit out on the field. Whatever happens but we’re confident that the 22 we put out next week will be fine.”
The Hawks face premiers Richmond at the MCG on Sunday, with the Tigers coming off a loss to Adelaide.
The Hawks will be without gun utility Shaun Burgoyne who hurt his hamstring against the Cats.
Dubbed “Mr Indestructible”, Burgoyne has not missed a game since Round 18, 2013.
Hawthorn pair Daniel Howe and Kaiden Brand and Geelong’s James Parsons can accept fines for misdemeanours during Monday’s contest.
Brand also received a heavy knock to the ribs on Monday and dry-wretched on the boundary line.
After finishing outside the finals last season, Alastair Clarkson’s undefeated Hawks sit in fourth place after two rounds, buoying hopes of another genuine tilt at a premiership.
Smith said it was an encouraging start to the year.
“The vibe is always better when you’re winning ... we started last year really slowly and it was an uphill battle to make finals,” Smith said.
“We’ve started well and now we’ve just got to keep going and build on that.”
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