Luke Parker cops monster ban as ‘good bloke clause’ bid fails

Sydney champion Luke Parker has failed to minimise his ban for bumping a VFL opponent at the Tribunal, copping a huge stint on the sidelines.

Luke Parker is facing the VFL Tribunal.

Sydney champion Luke Parker has failed to minimise his ban for bumping a VFL opponent at the Tribunal, copping six weeks on the sidelines.

The midfielder was referred directly to the VFL Tribunal for a collision which left Frankston’s Josh Smith with facial fractures requiring hospitalisation and a concussion.

The incident was graded as careless conduct with high contact and severe impact.

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The Swans argued there were exceptional and compelling circumstances, given Parker had been suspended for just a week in his 300+ game career (across all levels), and that the bump being initially body-on-body contact before an accidental head clash warranted a ban less than the base four-week sanction.

The VFL asked for a six-week ban and the Tribunal found Parker did not have an exlempary record, and that the injuries meant it was not “at the lower end of careless” as Sydney argued.

The VFL had the option of handing Parker a four-week suspension but sent him to the Tribunal instead.

Parker was only playing for the reserves side because he has been unable to break into a red-hot AFL midfield featuring Brownlow Medal favourite Isaac Heeney plus trade recruit Taylor Adams.

The Swans said they would challenge the base sanction of four weeks, on good character and given the accidental nature of the head clash, and against the VFL’s upgrading of the charge which saw them asking for six weeks - but otherwise plead guilty.

Luke Parker is facing the VFL Tribunal.

The medical report stated Smith will miss 6-8 weeks having suffered a concussion, and multiple fractures to his eye socket and cheekbone, and he will undergo surgery when able.

The VFL argued Parker could have contested the ball but instead contested his opponent.

“It was on the very low end of unreasonableness and carelessness for conduct amounting to a severe impact high bump,” Nick Kidd argued for the Swans, trying to have Parker’s GPS data included in evidence.

They said Parker declerated while approaching the player and reduced his velocity by 67%, moving at 1.3m/s at the point of contact. That is considered a slow walk, with above 2.8 m/s considered a jog.

“From Parker’s point of view, running in a straight line virtually in front of and in line of sight of the victim player, a belief on the part of Parker (was) reasonably held that the victim player would’ve seen him and expected contact,” the Swans said.

Sydney also went through a series of stills which suggested the first point of impact was between Parker’s shoulder and Smith’s body and chest, followed by “an accidental head clash”.

Parker explained he had been suspended for a total of one week following over 300 games of VFL, AFL and pre-season experience.

“The ball’s spilled out to my direction so I’ve made the decision to go out and win the ball,” he said.

“My teammate has toe-poked the ball past me, hence me slowing down. I’ve seen Smith contesting the contest so I thought I’d put on a block or shepherd to give my teammate abit more space to contest the ball.”

Luke Parker has been hit with a monster suspension. Photo by Phil Hillyard

He estimated he had laid 100-200 similar blocks in his career without head contact.

Parker said the “whiplash” of the bump to the body saw Smith make contact with the back of his head, and that his shoulder/back did not make contact with Smith at all.

“I felt I was quite low and my feet hadn’t left the ground,” he said.

Parker reached out to Smith a day or two after the incident “to see how he was going” and apologise.

Asked whether he could have blocked Smith without a bump, Parker agreed but said he didn’t go into the incident intending to cause harm, adding “a block and a bump I find very similar”.

He argued Smith could not have impacted the ball but could still impact the next contest.

“The fact there was no free kick given, I thought it was within the rules of what we were allowed to do,” Parker said.

The Tribunal chair questioned how Parker could have an exemplary record warranting exceptional and compelling circumstances when he had been suspended before, to which the Swans pointed to the position he plays and the lengthy of his career.

The VFL pointed to the rules around rough conduct (high bumps) and the potential to cause serious injury, “putting it at the high end of the classification” in contrast to the Swans’ argument and warranting a six-game suspension.

“Smith was not in position to impact the contest ... and was not expecting the contact. Accordingly Parker failed in his duty of care,” VFL counsel Morgan McLay said.

“This is not just the potential to cause injury but an actual injury.”

Originally published as Luke Parker cops monster ban as ‘good bloke clause’ bid fails