AFLW 2022: Tribunal upholds Montana McKinnon’s one-match Grand Final ban
The AFLW tribunal has ruled on Montana McKinnon’s bid to be freed for the Grand Final, a hearing in which the Crows pleaded for “exceptional circumstances” to be considered.
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Adelaide’s desperate plea to save grand final heartbreak for third-year ruck Montana McKinnon has fallen over at the AFLW tribunal.
The Crows were on Tuesday night unable to convince the jury that McKinnon’s one-game suspension for a bump on Fremantle star Kiara Bowers was low impact and then their bid for the penalty to be downgraded under “exceptional circumstances” was rejected.
It means the 20-year-old will miss the premiership decider against Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
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In a two-hour hearing, McKinnon pleaded guilty on a rough conduct charge stemming from last weekend’s preliminary final and did not contest the match review officer’s careless conduct and high contact classifications, but hoped to have the impact reduced from medium to low.
The jury instead dismissed the Crows’ argument that the velocity of the bump was low and agreed with the AFL’s counsel, Andrew Woods, that there was enough force for “real potential” to cause injury.
In a last-ditch attempt to have McKinnon available this Saturday, Adelaide’s counsel, Samuel McDonough, sought to have the penalty lessened from a one-match ban because of the Crows player’s age, the fact she had never been suspended and she would miss a premiership decider – her first grand final.
The jury of chairperson Renee Enbom QC, Shane Wakelin and Stephen Jurica deliberated on that submission for about five minutes before knocking it back.
Crows AFLW football boss Phil Harper said the result was terribly disappointing for the club and McKinnon.
He said Adelaide would now consider its options.
“Like all of the players in our squad, she has contributed to us making the grand final and it’s heartbreaking that she won’t be able to play,” Harper said.
Earlier, McKinnon told the hearing she brushed past Bowers while trying to put pressure on.
At the time, she thought she had hit her in the chest, not the head.
McDonough compared the incident to Brisbane speedster Ruby Svarc’s bump on Collingwood’s Jaimee Lambert, which the tribunal last week downgraded from a one-match ban to a reprimand on the basis of deeming it low impact.
Hoping to have Tuesday night’s case viewed similarly, McDonough pointed to the velocity at which McKinnon was running – she described it as a speed of six or seven out of 10 – and the bump not being isolated to Bowers’ head but across her body.
“While part of her arm makes contact with her head, the balance of her arm makes contact with the torso of Bowers,” McDonough said.
McDonough said Bowers pushing up off the ground without holding her head immediately after being knocked over reflected there being no injury or pain from the incident.
That was backed up by the Dockers’ medical report.
Woods’ main argument surrounded the potential to cause injury.
He referenced AFLW regulations that any high bump constituting rough conduct should usually be graded medium impact as a minimum, even if the extent of it was actually low.
McDonough believed the velocity of the incident and broad distribution of the contact made the potential to cause injury negligible.
The jury sided with Woods.
“We found there was force in the contact despite the absence of injury,” Enbom said.
“More significantly we found there was real potential to cause injury.”
McDonough said banning McKinnon from playing in the grand final was disproportionate to her actions but that too was rejected.
“Whilst sympathetic to her missing a grand final, we do not find exceptional and compelling circumstances and accordingly the sanction must stand,” Enbom said.
AFLW GF SET FOR BIGGEST ADELAIDE CROWD OF YEAR
Will another AFLW grand final at Adelaide Oval be the game that gets the fans back through the turnstiles en masse this year?
The stadium is back to 100 per cent capacity, and both Adelaide and Port Adelaide have had prime time and significant home matches.
But neither of the three games at Adelaide Oval so far this season have cracked the 40,000 mark.
South Australia isn’t alone in crowds being lower than expected, they are across the board in the AFL — with the capacity of Optus Stadium in Perth still capped.
The Crows’ round one clash was scheduled in the dreaded Sunday afternoon timeslot, on a scorching day against Fremantle — who usually don’t result in bums on seats – and got just over 28,000.
Port Adelaide’s round two clash against Hawthorn was a celebration of the club’s greatest ever player in Russell Ebert but just over 30,000 turned out for the Saturday night game.
And despite the round three Showdown on a Friday night for the first time ever, the official attendance for the Crows home game was 39,190.
The lasting impacts of the pandemic, as well as a new ticketing system for fans have all being mentioned as potential reasons why the punters might be staying away this year.
But the Crows hope that the third AFLW grand final at the venue, and no capacity limits can result in a big crowd on Saturday at 12pm.
Adelaide chief executive Tim Silvers urged all Crows fans to turn up.
“It’s a big week for our footy club and we want every Crows fan to get along to Adelaide Oval, make some noise and get behind the team,” he said.
“We have seen in the past that our fans can make a difference so let’s make the most of the home ground advantage.”
The AFL is also doing its bit.
The game will be a stand-alone clash with the men’s round four match between Sydney and North Melbourne moved to later in the afternoon.
All ticket prices will be kept at $10, with kids under 18 free.
And free entry to the AFLW grand final will be provided to competing AFLW club members, community football participants and to women and girls in talent pathways.
Avid Crows fan Abbie Deegan, who was at the 2019 grand final, said it would be great to see South Australians come out for the game.
“I think a lot of people don’t realise how much growth and development the AFLW has had in such a short space of time,” Ms Deegam said.
“If you haven’t had the opportunity to go and see a game yet there’s no better time to get around the girls this weekend.”
Silvers said the Crows players deserved a big crowd for the grand final for the sacrifices they have made on a personal and professional level to stop Covid-19 impacting the team.
“Let’s not forget most of them are studying or working full-time,” he said.
“Some have stopped going to family catch-ups and celebrations, or even moved out of their homes, to lessen the chances of being in group situations or environments where the threat of Covid-19 is considered high.”
A Stadium Management Authority spokesman said they were “delighted” to host the game once again.
“This will be the third time we have had the honour of doing so, and we’re looking forward to what should be a fantastic event,” he said.
Tickets for the AFLW grand final will be available via Ticketek on Monday, April 4.
Eligible competing club AFLW Members can redeem their free tickets via a pre-sale at 12:00pm local time.
General Public tickets will then be able to purchase from tickets from 2pm local time
Venue locked in, clear air for AFLW showpiece
Adelaide Oval will host its third AFLW grand final, and fans will get some special incentives as the league looks for another big crowd at the historic venue.
The AFL has again made sure that the grand final gets clear air, with it scheduled for the stand-alone timeslot of 12.30pm AEST (12pm Adelaide time).
After Adelaide beat Fremantle at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, the Crows status as the highest-ranked team from the premiership season means they get another decider at home.
They will take on Melbourne on Saturday, pitting competition superstars Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce against each other in a mouth-watering contest.
The men’s round 4 clash between Sydney and North Melbourne has also been moved to 2.40pm AEST.
All ticket prices will be kept at $10, with kids under 18 free.
And free entry to the AFLW grand final will be provided to competing AFLW club members, community football participants and to women and girls in talent pathways.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said he hoped this would bring footy fans out in large numbers.
“We are calling on the whole Australian football community in South Australia to come and see our two best performing teams compete for the premiership, in what will be a fantastic contest,” he said.
AFL general manager women’s football Nicole Livingstone said the league had gotten through a lot to arrive at the showpiece event.
“After a momentous effort from everyone involved in the 2022 NAB AFL women’s competition to complete a 10-round premiership season, followed by a three-week finals series, it is incredibly exciting to be able to confirm the details for the 2022 NAB AFL women’s grand final,” Livingstone said.
“On behalf of the AFL, I want to again thank all clubs, players and the AFLPA, umpires, venues, governments, ticket agents and our broadcast and commercial partners for their understanding and continued support of the NAB AFL women’s competition.
Tickets for the AFLW grand final will be available via Ticketek on Monday, April 4.
Eligible competing club AFLW members can redeem their free tickets via a pre-sale at 12pm local time.
General public tickets will then be able to be bought from 2pm local time.
Randall’s reward after grand final heartbreak
Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke has heaped praise on fearless skipper Chelsea Randall after the star defender’s commanding performance in Saturday’s preliminary final win against Fremantle.
Randall was the hard luck story of last year’s AFLW grand final when she was ruled out with a concussion.
But the 30-year-old ensured she would get another crack at premiership glory with her strong physical presence in a hard-fought 14-point win over the Dockers.
The veteran was restricted to just four regular season games by hamstring issues this year, returning from a six-week absence in time for Adelaide’s last home-and-away match.
“Obviously the whole defence was really good, but I thought Chelsea Randall’s game was one out of the box,” Clarke said.
“She has had a frustrating season, really challenging, she’s been interrupted all the way through.
“For her to be able to put that all to one side and come out and play the way that she did was massive.
“We’re really happy for her.”
While a spot in the grand final is a fitting reward for Randall after last year’s heartbreak, Clarke is reluctant to draw on that as motivation as his side prepares for Saturday’s premiership decider against Melbourne at Adelaide Oval.
The preliminary final was Adelaide’s first game in 20 days after a Covid outbreak forced the postponement of Brisbane’s qualifying final against Collingwood.
The break has helped freshen up a Crows side that escaped the clash against the Dockers unscathed.
The fitness of Erin Phillips was a key talking point heading into last year’s grand final, but Clarke is confident the superstar is in better shape this time around.
“Erin’s knee is Erin’s knee,” he said.
“She’s spent too long running up and down on hardwood floors (in the WNBA), so it’s a bit banged up but she’s actually been really good and got through pretty well this season.
“We modify her training loads to make sure that she’s at her best on game day … there won’t be too much that could stop her from getting out there next week.
“We have a clean bill of health, which is really pleasing … there’s nothing worse than someone missing through injury.”
Crows’ insane GF conversion as stars secure home decider
The Adelaide Crows have stormed into their fourth grand final in six AFLW seasons, with Ash Woodland kicking two goals in a tense 14-point win against Fremantle on Saturday.
Erin Phillips set the tone early and Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard combined superbly on the ball as Adelaide saw off a stern challenge from the Dockers to score a 6.4 (40) to 4.2 (26) preliminary final win at Adelaide Oval.
The minor premiers will host Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after the Demons defeated Brisbane in the other preliminary final.
It is just reward for fearless skipper Chelsea Randall, who missed last year’s premiership decider against the Lions with a concussion.
Randall was outstanding down back against Fremantle, taking intercept marks and repeatedly repelling forward forays.
Hayley Miller, Ebony Antonio and Kiara Bowers led the way for the Dockers, who trailed by just eight points early in the final term before Woodland settled frayed nerves with her second major.
PHILLIPS FIRES
It was Adelaide’s first game in 20 days, but the home side showed no ill effects in a bright start.
Phillips had a hand in both her side’s first-quarter goals, the two-time AFLW best-and-fairest winner snapping a superb goal off her left in traffic then picking out Caitlin Gould at the top of the goalsquare.
Adelaide took a seven-point lead into the first break and the superstar veteran had a bizarre goal assist that helped push the margin out to 19 points in the second quarter.
Phillips’ set shot cleared the pack in the goalsquare and appeared to have gone through for her second major.
But a quick-thinking Woodland realised the ball had bounced on the goal line and back into play where she pounced to slot her 20th goal of the season.
Woodland really said SURPRISE 😅#AFLW | #AFLWCrowsFreopic.twitter.com/fE69Z5VEfD
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) April 2, 2022
FABULOUS 50
Three players celebrated their 50-game milestone on the day: Adelaide’s Sarah Allan and Stevie-Lee Thompson and Fremantle skipper Miller.
Allan was a rock in defence and Thompson did well to cut off a pass and kick a goal in the Crows’ second-quarter burst in an eye-catching performance.
Leading the inside-50 count 20-9, Adelaide was on the verge of breaking the game open until Miller helped spark a late fight back.
With less than two minutes left in the half, Kara Antonio and Airlie Runnalls goaled from strong work further afield to slash the margin back to seven points.
But the Dockers couldn’t find a way to goal in the third quarter as the Crows piled on the pressure.
Janelle Cuthbertson bravely put her body on the line as the visitors desperately defended their goal line, Danielle Ponter with the only goal for the term.
The Dockers go back-to-back âš“ï¸#AFLW | #AFLWCrowsFreopic.twitter.com/CqEtP7JYBW
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) April 2, 2022
21 UP
Woodland’s 21st goal of an outstanding campaign may well have been her most important.
The Dockers had pressed forward without luck late in the third term and opened the last quarter strongly, Emma O’Driscoll making it an eight-point game with her goal.
With the game in the balance, Woodland chased a loose ball towards her own goal and won a free kick when Cuthbertson took her high.
The league’s leading goalkicker duly converted to give her side a shot at a third AFLW premiership.
SCOREBOARD
CROWS 2.1 4.1 5.3 6.4 (40)
DOCKERS 1.0 3.0 3.0 4.2 (26)
PHELAN’S BEST
Crows: Marinoff, Randall, Hatchard, Phillips, Thompson, Allan.
Dockers: Bowers, Miller, E Antonio, Runnalls, Verrier, Strom.
GOALS
Crows: Woodland 2, Phillips, Thompson, Gould, Ponter.
Dockers: K Antonio, Runnalls, Hyde, O’Driscoll.
INJURIES Crows: Nil. Dockers: Nil.
Adelaide Oval
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