By Hannah Kennelly
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Three cases heard at AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
- Bombers lose Caddy, Hobbs for Giants clash.
North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri will miss the next three games for knocking out Melbourne’s Tom Sparrow after failing to overturn the ban at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
Xerri swung his left arm in an attempt to tackle Sparrow and collected him high, with the match review officer grading the incident from Sunday’s game as severe impact.
Melbourne players immediately remonstrated with Kangaroos ruckman Tristan Xerri (centre) after he knocked out their teammate Tom Sparrow.Credit: AFL Photos
Xerri provided evidence during the tribunal hearing, confirming he sent Sparrow a text the following day to check on him.
“I know I can’t just go around swinging arms and hitting people intentionally,” he said. “I know you’ve got to tackle with the duty of care now and the responsibility for other players.”
North Melbourne reviewed the footage and argued a “reasonable player in Xerri’s position” would not have expected Sparrow to be pushed towards him with such momentum.
However, the tribunal found Xerri performed a “a careless strike” and a “forceful blow” and upheld the three match suspension.
Carlton midfielder Adam Cerra also copped a $5500 fine for careless contact with umpires – the first player to be charged by the AFL tribunal since guidelines tightened in early July.
Cerra backed into an umpire in an incident just before half-time in the Blues’ heavy loss to the Lions last Thursday. It marked the fourth time Cerra had made careless contact with an umpire in the past two years.
Under the AFL’s change, players found to have made contact with umpires three times in a period of two calendar years will now be sent to the tribunal, where they will either receive a far heavier fine, or a suspension for a fourth offence.
Carlton’s Adam Cerra makes contact with the umpire on Thursday night.Credit: Channel Seven
Cerra pleaded guilty to the offence during Tuesday’s tribunal hearing where his lawyers argued his sanction should be no more than $5000.
However, AFL barrister Andrew Woods sought a $6250 penalty, saying a higher fine was needed to deter other players and remind them of their “duty of care to avoid careless conduct towards umpires”.
“The AFL has an obligation to provide a safe working environment for umpires and has to try its best to prevent or minimise incidents of avoidable contact between players and umpires,” Woods said.
Carlton’s lawyer Elizabeth Bateman argued Cerra should not be excessively penalised simply because there have been a number of incidents of players coming into contact with umpires this year. She also noted the midfielder would have challenged his previous umpire offences had he been aware of the rule that was subsequently changed.
The tribunal deliberated for nearly 30 minutes before fining Cerra $5500.
Meanwhile, Brisbane player Zac Bailey unsuccessfully challenged a one-week ban for a bump on Carlton’s Nick Haynes that resulted in a head clash.
Adrian Anderson, representing the Lions’ player, argued the hit should be downgraded to low impact, however the tribunal upheld the ban. Bailey will miss this week’s game against the Western Bulldogs.
Nate Caddy won’t play for the Bombers this week.Credit: via Getty Images
Bombers’ injury woes deepen
Greg Dundas and AAP
Essendon’s lengthy injury list grew longer on Tuesday, with news that emerging star Nate Caddy and fellow forward Ben Hobbs were unavailable for the Thursday-night game against Greater Western Sydney.
With the young pair sidelined, the Bombers have 15 players listed as unavailable for the prime-time match – almost a third of their extended playing list of 47.
Their confirmed unavailability allowed the club on Tuesday to get in early and herald the debut of Liam McMahon.
Aged 23, the 198cm key forward was picked up by the club just seven weeks ago in the mid-season draft after stints at Collingwood and Carlton, and will become the club’s 13th debutant this season – equalling the league record for first-gamers in a single season.
The Bombers said Caddy had “pulled up sore” from the weekend’s loss to Richmond and would miss the game, while Hobbs will be absent because of a minor groin injury. The short turnaround from Saturday night’s game to the clash with GWS on Thursday was part of the reason both players were ruled out, with the club expecting them both to be available the following week against the Western Bulldogs.
The Bombers had already lost Will Setterfield and Nic Martin from the team that played the Tigers last week for the rest of the season. Setterfield sustained a Lisfranc foot injury which requires surgery, while Nic Martin is to undergo a knee reconstruction next week after tearing his ACL.
The Bombers injury list was already extensive, with just half the players who filled the top-10 in their best and fairest award last season unavailable for selection. In a cruel twist of fate for the Dons, Jake Stringer (ninth in last year’s best and fairest award) will be a key player for GWS on Thursday, having returned to his best form with four goals against Geelong last week after his own injury woes earlier this season.
Ben Hobbs of the Bombers in action.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Searching for positive news, the Bombers said Mason Redman recovered well after his return game from a hamstring injury, while came back through the VFL team without mishap.
The selection of McMahon is feel-good yarn amid the injury woes for the Dons. The club picked him up with the 18th and final selection in May’s mid-season draft, and pitched his selection as reward for hard work.
“It’s been a massive road,” McMahon said.
“It’s been five years in the making from when I got drafted back in 2020 (by Collingwood). It’s not so much a sigh of relief, but it’s more a moment where I was finally able to prove myself right and get to where I am now.
“I’m really proud of my perseverance and my resilience. Being told ‘no’ for five years or that I’m not good enough has been a massive setback and to finally be here now, it’s just so surreal.”
The Giants, meanwhile, will welcome back veteran Stephen Coniglio for his long-awaited AFL return, but will be without midfielder Josh Kelly, who has a recurring hip complaint, and spearhead Jesse Hogan.
Coniglio is set to line-up against Essendon after spending 15 weeks on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old has not played at AFL level since round three after suffering a glute complaint stemming from a nerve issue.
Coniglio, who was originally slated to miss just one week, returns to the senior team after a two-week stint in the VFL.
“I think ‘Cogs’ will be good. He got through main training today, felt really good,” Giants coach Adam Kingsley said on Tuesday.
“He’s had two games back. We think he’s probably ready to go, so I’d expect to see him.”
The Giants will hope Coniglio’s return will soften the blow of losing both Jesse Hogan and Kelly.
With Hogan already confirmed out with a foot injury following their 26-point win over Geelong, Kingsley was forced to also rest Kelly.
“His hip is giving him a little bit of grief, so we need to give him a week off,” Kingsley said.
“It (the hip injury) settles, but it’s something that’s ongoing.
“We need to manage him, and this may not be the last game that he misses for the remainder of the season.
“We’ll just sort of play it symptomatically, and a little bit like Jesse, you’ve got to make the calls when you think you need to make the call.”
All-Australian defender Sam Taylor remains on the sidelines for at least one more week with a fractured toe.
Elsewhere, Gold Coast will be without Touk Miller for at least three weeks.
The fifth-placed Suns lose the in-form midfielder ahead of a tough two-game stretch against top-eight teams Adelaide and Brisbane.
Miller had suffered the injury in the second quarter of their thrilling six-point win over Collingwood.
The 29-year-old has averaged 25.3 disposals and 5.4 clearances in a star-studded midfield including Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
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