‘Wow’: AFL boss’ bombshell interview rocks Brownlow medal
Comments from AFL boss Gillon McLachlan have sent shockwaves around the league one day after Patrick Cripps won the Brownlow medal.
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Gillon McLachlan says he is “very agitated” by the shock ruling that saw Patrick Cripps eligible to win the Brownlow medal.
In an interview bombshell that was released on Monday, the AFL boss described the AFL appeals board’s infamous decision to overturn a two-match suspension as “complete nonsense”.
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That decision was crucial in Cripps’ Brownlow medal win on Sunday night where he took the award by just one vote over Lions star Lachie Neale in a thrilling count.
Cripps can thank Carlton’s lawyer, who managed to successfully appeal the suspension in a marathon hearing, allowing him to play the last two games of the season and win the Brownlow.
The 27-year-old’s defence counsel Chris Townshend QC became a central figure in Brownlow medal conversations on social media as fans re-visited the controversial ruling that allowed Cripps to avoid suspension and remain eligible to win the league’s top individual award.
The AFL appeals board last month overturned a tribunal’s decision to issue a two-match ban for Cripps’ bump on Brisbane’s Callum Ah Chee, who was concussed in the incident.
The appeals board found that the tribunal’s decision did not “afford procedural fairness” due to the lack of clear directions given by Tribunal chairperson Jeff Gleeson.
McLachlan publicly criticised the ruling at the time and he still believes Cripps should have been banned.
In an interview released in the AFL Record on Monday, McLachlan says the board’s ruling “made no sense to me”.
The interview is reported to have been conducted two weeks ago during the finals series.
“People are aware I was very agitated by that (Appeals Board) decision,” McLachlan told AFL Record two weeks ago.
“It made no sense to me in any way and it is frustrating to have a legal view about due process or procedural fairness - a complete nonsense - really affect a clear mandate to protect the head.
“We confused our supporters and set ourselves back and that really frustrates me.
“When you can have something that is so important, which is protecting the head, and a clear statement from the MRO and backed up by the Tribunal, and then the player getting off because of a legal technicality and nobody really understanding what the hell happened, I find that challenging.
“So, I have asked the guys to review the system and we will see where that lands.”
Demons legend Garry Lyon responded to news of McLachlan’s comments on Monday morning by saying, “Wow”.
However Lyon told SEN radio the comments “take nothing away” from Cripps’ achievement.
Cripps fronted the press on Monday morning with the Brownlow medal around his neck and politely elected not to respond to McLachlan's fresh comments.
When pressed on the matter, he responded: “He called my name for the last three votes, so I’ll just leave it at that.”
Originally published as ‘Wow’: AFL boss’ bombshell interview rocks Brownlow medal
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