AFL ban on Adelaide Crows assistant Ben Hart sends a message

The AFL has issued a warning about the pitfalls of breaching COVID-19 guidelines after suspending Adelaide’s Ben Hart for six weeks.

Adelaide assistant coach Ben Hart. Picture: Sarah Reed

The AFL has issued a strict warning to its clubs about the pitfalls of breaching COVID-19 guidelines after suspending Adelaide’s Ben Hart for six weeks.

The dual-premiership Crows star, who is now an assistant coach, has been stood down until June 22 for his failure to ensure the 16 Adelaide players in isolation in the Barossa Valley adhered to league guidelines.

The 16 Crows, who are mainly first-year to third-year footballers, were issued with suspended one-match bans after the league finalised a five-day investigation into last week’s breach.

The players were spotted by some eagle-eyed golfers, training together in two separate groups of eight players at the Tanunda Pines Golf Club, with Hart supervising a kicking drill.

Although the gatherings did not breach South Australian guidelines, which were eased before the Crows players returned from interstate for isolation, they breached a clear AFL edict, according to AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon.

“We all have a very clear responsibility to ensure we do everything we can to stop the spread of the virus.

“The protocols are clear and the actions in this matter, whilst not pre-planned, are a breach of them,” Dillon said.

“We take this matter extremely seriously. We will not compromise the health and wellbeing of the community and remind everyone in the industry — players, coaches, officials and staff — that they have a responsibility to adhere to the rules for the safety of everyone in the community.”

The Crows were extremely apologetic when the possible breach came to light last Thursday. Hart is said to be remorseful for failing to follow the AFL guidelines.

The breach occurred as the AFL was trying to convince state governments around Australia that its protocols for dealing with coronavirus were sufficient to be able to safely restart the season.

Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy couldn’t hide his surprise at the penalty, given it had been suggested the Crows could be facing a $100,000 fine and also the potential loss of draft picks.

“That’s it? That’s like being hit with a wet piece of lettuce,” Murphy said on SEN.

As it stands, the strict border controls in Western Australia and South Australia are still a hurdle to the league’s hopes of resuming the season on June 11.

The AFL was forced to clarify West Coast was not responsible for a similar breach after an interview with young Eagle Oscar Allen was published online on the weekend.

In an interview with Fremantle’s Tom Sheridan for an e-sports competition called “The Lockdown League”, Allen said West Coast players were training in groups of 10.

But the interview was actually recorded on April 27, after WA eased social-distancing restrictions but before the AFL issued its edict regarding group training.