The AFL averted an SFL player from serving an extra week’s suspension in rule mix-up

AFL House was forced to step in to prevent SFL officials adding an extra week to North Hobart recruit Ryan Martin’s three-match ban. Here’s what happened.

SFL. Ryan Martin Lindisfarne celebrates a goal. Huonville Lions V Lindisfarne. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

It took five hours of phone calls, presidential intervention and a ruling from AFL House in Melbourne to the settle the confusion over North Hobart recruit Ryan Martin’s suspension before he was eventually allowed to debut for the Demons on Anzac Day.

After naming Martin to play against Lauderdale at North Hobart Oval last Friday, the Demons were told by competition management he was ineligible to play.

The saga revolved around Martin’s three match suspension, a hangover from an incident in last year’s SFL grand final, which Lindisfarne lost to Cygnet.

Martin left Lindisfarne in the off-season and switched to North Hobart.

Ryan Clark Cygnet and Ryan Martin Lindisfarne. SFL grand final 2024 - Cygnet V Lindisfarne. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

He sat out North Hobart’s first three Premier League games, and was named to play in round four against Lauderdale at North Hobart Oval.

When competition management saw Martin had been named to play, they told North Hobart he could not.

They ruled that because Lindisfarne had not played three games in the SFL Community League, which started a week later than the Premier League, Martin was ineligible to play for the Demons because the Two Blues had played only two games.

Hours of phone calls last Thursday reached a stalemate, so a friend of Martin reached out to SFL president David O’Byrne.

“I had it sorted in 20 minutes,” O’Byrne said.

“There had been a hard reading of the rules and we needed to take a step back and not look at it as a literal reading of the rules.

“The rule says the player needs to serve his suspension in the grade they played at, so the literal interpretation was that Lindisfarne was the grade, and they need to play three games before he can play.

“I questioned that _ having a player move clubs and serve effectively a four-match suspension was not the outcome the tribunal had intended, and as a player he needed to serve three games.

“He did sit out three games and so should have been eligible to play.”

The issue went all the way to AFL House.

“They sought advice from the AFL and eventually common sense prevailed and Ryan was allowed to play.”

In a statement, AFL Tasmania said: “There was a discussion on the interpretation of suspension rules in relation to North Hobart player Ryan Martin but it was clarified in advance of the Anzac Day game that Ryan was eligible to participate.”