Rhyan Mansell tribunal: The case for and against three week suspension

Rhyan Mansell’s case has divided opinions across the AFL after the young Tiger pushed Saint Liam O’Connell into an oncoming pack. Lauren Wood breaks down the for and against a ban.

Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell was hit with a three-match ban for rough conduct.

Match review officer Michael Christian deemed the push on Saint Liam O’Connell to be careless conduct, severe impact and high contact. Richmond will challenge the ban at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.

Here’s a breakdown of the case and what it means.

WHY THE CONFUSION?

A number of players have committed similar acts this season, including West Coast’s Reuben Ginbey in the pre-season with a push into a contest that saw Tigers draftee Sam Lalor left with a broken jaw. Giant Kieren Briggs, Bulldog Laitham Vandermeer and Saint Michito Owens have also been concussed in similar incidents this season. But since those, the league has issued a missive to clubs to inform them that players are on notice for such acts that will not be tolerated.

Rhyan Mansell incident

THE MEMO

At the beginning of March, league football boss Laura Kane wrote to clubs putting players on notice of their duty of care to opponents, and affirming that free kicks would continue to be awarded if a player was unduly pushed in a marking contest.

“Please note such conduct may also be subject to a charge of rough conduct as a reportable offence, if it constitutes a breach of the duty of care owed by the player to their opponent,” the memo read.

“Please inform your players of this ahead of your first match.”

So they were warned.

THE FOR

A raft of former players have backed in the league’s call to ban Mansell.

“This probably snuck up on us a little bit and one or two (players) got away with a couple that we probably should have jumped on earlier,” former Geelong skipper Cameron Ling said on ABC.

“It’s dangerous. It’s really dangerous. I know they’re not meaning to hurt the opposition player … but the outcome of that is a dangerous action where these players are wide open.

“I think they should redraw the line and say from now on, if you do this, these are the weeks (suspension) you are going to receive.”

Former St Kilda player Leigh Montagna said he was “OK with it being a suspend-able act now”, but questioned the earlier incidents that were let off without charge, while two-time All-Australian David King said the suspension was “a great outcome for the safety of the game”.

Liam O'Connell on the bench after his collision. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

THE AGAINST

Former Tiger Jack Riewoldt reckons there’s “grey area” that the Tigers could pounce on at the tribunal.

“I think, quietly, Richmond would be seething about this if it does go down as a three-match suspension (following the Sam) Lalor and (Reuben) Ginbey (similar incident from the pre-season),” he said on Fox Footy.

“If I’m Richmond, I’m mounting a case — could he foresee? He’s engaging his opponent; does he know that that contest is coming behind him? … certainly, we don’t want to see players being knocked out of the game, but I think there’s enough grey area here … is Mansell to know that this contest is coming?”

Premiership player Kane Cornes reckons Mansell “has been hard done by” and said the suspension was simply a result of “what happens after the action”.

“He’s thinking ‘I want to make position so that I’m in a good spot when the ball lands’, like all good small forwards do,” he said.

“You can’t shepherd, you can’t bump, you can’t tackle, now you can’t push.”

BETTS: FORWARD CRAFT WILL CHANGE FOREVER IF MANSELL IS BANNED

— Jon Ralph

AFL champion Eddie Betts has warned forward craft will be changed forever if Rhyan Mansell’s three-match ban is upheld at the AFL Tribunal.

Richmond is planning a dual-pronged defence of their small forward in what shapes as a test case for players nudging opponents into contests.

The Tigers believe they can make a strong defence of Mansell, despite his opponent Liam O’Connell being concussed after being pushed into a marking contest.

Rhyan Mansell’s collision

The club remains furious that Mansell was charged by the MRO when star No. 1 pick Sam Lalor was forced to drink through a straw with a broken jaw after Reuben Ginbey was let off for a similar act in the pre-season.

The AFL judged that Mansell could reasonably foresee that O’Connell might be put in a position of danger by being pushed into the coming back.

Richmond forward Tom Lynch unintentionally collected O’Connell high as he launched forward to contest the mark.

The league sent a video collection of 11 incidents to clubs in the pre-season after a spate of players pushing their opponents into contests and causing concussions.

The moment before Liam O’Connell was collected by Tom Lynch after being pushed into a marking contest. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Those clips showed players including Toby Greene, Jacob Wehr, Bailey Banfield and Brynn Teakle being penalised for pushing opponents into contests.

That pre-season warning formed a part of the AFL decision to suspend Mansell given the league believed players had been given enough time to change their behaviour.

But the Tigers can mount a case that while Mansell might have been aware of the oncoming pack, under the AFL’s rules he had to actually foresee the possibility of an injury to his opponent.

Lalor was pushed into a contest by Ginbey but in that contest the AFL decided the Eagles defender could never have foreseen the broken jaw to his opponent.

Sam Lalor goes down

Richmond can also mount the case that while Mansell was never going to mark the ball that flew over his head, he was attempting to position himself for the spill of the ball.

Carlton and Adelaide champion Betts told the Herald Sun on Monday that small forwards across the competition had always tried to gain separation by a similar technique.

“As a small forward I don’t think it’s a reportable act even if the outcome is that (O’Connell) was concussed. As a small forward you get taught to do that. I watched Steven Milne do it over and again. He would get his opponent and nudge him into the side of the contest and then get to the front. It’s smart thinking.

“That is how small forwards kick goals. Milney was the best at getting rid of his opponent and getting to the front. I did it at training, I taught other forwards, you get separation and it’s not always pushing them, it’s more body on body or using your elbow to push instead of your hands.

Eddie Betts made a living as a small forward. Picture: Michael Klein

“As a small forward you have to change the game a bit, You have to work to get someone to block you, you have to get separation because the defenders are always fit as a fiddle. That is how Brad Johnson and I made a living.”

Mansell could count himself especially unlucky given it was his teammate Lalor’s injury which put the issue on the radar but escaped penalty.

He would miss games against Brisbane, Fremantle and Gold Coast if found guilty.

Essendon’s Ben Hobbs will also appeal his $1500 staging fine with a written submission after he was judged to have grabbed his head to suggest head-high contact in a tackle with Ollie Wines.

Wines tackled him to the ground but Hobbs did not hit his head on the Marvel Stadium turf.

The AFL judged that he increased the likelihood of Wines being assessed for a reportable offence so he was fined but he will attempt to have that fine wiped by the league.

Under the AFL protocols he makes a submission that is then judged by the league rather than attend the tribunal.

Originally published as Rhyan Mansell tribunal: The case for and against three week suspension