Nathan Buckley takes swipe at AFL over betting penalties
Ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the AFL, questioning the consistency of its suspensions.
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Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has questioned the consistency of the gambling punishment handed to Gold Coast’s Rhys Nicholls, compared to the heavier penalty given to ex-Magpie Jaidyn Stephenson in 2019.
Last week, Nicholls was handed a two-match ban and was fined $5000 for making 10 bets totalling $256 on AFL games last year, with six of those bets on Suns games.
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The 20-year-old, who is yet to make his AFL debut, will be allowed to train but he won’t be able to play until Round 3 this season.
Stephenson copped a 22-game ban, of which 10 games were suspended, and a $22,000 fine in 2019 after being found guilty of making three bets on Collingwood matches.
The bets, which totalled $36 but all lost, included markets on Collingwood to win, winning margin and Stephenson to kick a goal.
The suspension meant the 2018 Rising Star winner missed the last half of the season including the 2019 preliminary final against, which Collingwood lost by less than a goal to the GWS Giants.
Even though Stephenson was betting on himself whereas Nicholls was not, Buckley questioned Nicholls’ penalty in comparison to Stephenson’s comparatively heavy ban.
Buckley said on SEN on Monday: “I just wonder how Jaidyn Stephenson woke up on Friday to see the news that there was a Suns player who had 10 bets totally $256 and received a two-week suspension and $5000 fine, next to Jaidyn’s three bets at $36 for a 22-week suspension and a $20,000 fine.
“I just wonder what Stevo thought about the consistency of that decision making.
“And he did miss the last half of 2019. We lost the prelim by four points. He would’ve been handy.”
SEN footy reporter Sam Edmund explained Stephenson’s punishment was more harsh because he was betting on markets involving himself.
“Jaidyn Stephenson was betting on his own outcome,” Edmund clarified.
“Betting on the number of goals he would kick and how many disposals his teammates would get and he’s involved the game so I think that’s a pretty big difference.”
Stephenson is now playing for North Melbourne after he was traded by Collingwood to the Kangaroos as part of the Magpies’ much-criticised trade period following the 2020 season.
Originally published as Nathan Buckley takes swipe at AFL over betting penalties
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