Adelaide captain Taylor Walker successfully fights misconduct charge and has $1500 fine dismissed

Adelaide Crows captain Tex Walker said he didn’t agree with the misconduct charge and thought it was a joke when he was first told about the fine.

Crows captain Taylor Walker against the Eagles. Picture: AAP Image/Mark Brake

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ADELAIDE captain Taylor Walker has had his misconduct charge thrown out by the AFL tribunal.

Walker avoided a $1500 fine after barrister Andrew Culshaw, acting for the Crows, successfully argued that his shove to West Coast’s Luke Shuey was neither unacceptable nor brought the game into disrepute.

Walker said he had challenged the charge out of principle, saying he didn’t want any other player fined for a similar action.

Walker appeared before the tribunal via video link from Adelaide and was not required to give evidence. He had risked a $2500 fine by not taking an early plea and was relieved at the outcome.

Adelaide Crows captain Taylor Walker arrives for a video link tribunal hearing on a striking charge, at Grenfell Centre in Adelaide. Picture: Mark Brake

“I don’t want anyone to get done for that going forward, so it’s definitely out of principle,” Walker said. “I just didn’t agree with the misconduct charge.

“When I was told about it I thought it was a bit of a joke.

“Andrew put a great case forward and I was on the basis that it would be a bad look for the game if I was found guilty.

“We put a great case forward and were found not guilty, which was great.

“I don’t think it was misconduct, I don’t think it was a bad look for our game and I don’t think I put the game into disrepute.

“I’m really happy that I got off.”

Walker’s action - a clenched fist to Shuey after himself being struck first - had not been assessed as having enough impact by match review officer Michael Christian to be a strike.

Culshaw argued that if Walker were to be found guilty, it would set a confusing and dangerous precedent.

“To call this misconduct is setting the bar too low,” Culshaw told the tribunal. “This sort of thing happens tens or hundreds of times on a weekend.

“It was a restrained and normal reaction (that) just happens in a game of football.”

Culshaw also stressed that there was no remonstration from Shuey’s teammates, which indicated the act was not seen as unacceptable or unsportsmanlike by other participants in the match.

David Mackay has added to Adelaide’s wretched injury run ahead of Friday’s clash with Richmond, sidelined for a month with rib cartilage damage.

David Mackay of the Crows is helped by a trainer after a knock to the ribs against the West Coast Eagles on Saturday. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Half-back Mackay, 29, was injured in the third term of Adelaide’s 10-point win against West Coast on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.

“Unfortunately for D-Mac he copped that heavy knock in the match on the weekend,” Crows general manager high performance Matt Hass said.

“He’s got rib cartilage damage so that looks to be about a month depending on how he progresses with training and treatment.”

However, linkman Tom Lynch (concussion), forgotten half-forward Riley Knight and midfielder Sam Gibson (hamstring) will be available to face the Tigers in the Grand Final re-match.

“Lynchy had some mild concussion, he has progressed really well, he will train with the group tomorrow and we expect him to play,” Hass said.

“Great news for Knighta, he’s done a mountain of work and progressed really nicely over the last month and got some good training in so should he get through main training tomorrow we expect him to play on the weekend.”

Cam Ellis-Yolmen (quad strain) and utility Andy Otten (Achilles) are two games from resuming.

Untried rookie Andrew McPherson’s unfortunate start to his AFL career has continued with a hamstring injury in the SANFL to keep him out for an extended period while Jackson Edwards will also be sidelined for for a month with a sprained ankle.

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Originally published as Adelaide captain Taylor Walker successfully fights misconduct charge and has $1500 fine dismissed