West Gippsland: Phillip Island coach Cameron Pedersen beats rough tackle charge at tribunal

Former AFL player Cameron Pedersen has successfully beaten a rough conduct charge on the eve of finals. Watch the incident here.

Phillip Island coach Cameron Pedersen is free to lead his team into the West Gippsland league finals series after beating a rough tackle charge in the final round clash against Nar Nar Goon last Saturday.

The former Melbourne player and dual league best and fairest winner was yellow-carded for the tackle on Nar Nar Goon captain Trent Armour that was graded intentional, high and low impact.

Pedersen was offered a one-match penalty with an early guilty plea, but he opted to fight the charge at the tribunal on Wednesday night and was cleared.

Former Melbourne player Cameron Pedersen in his first season as coach of Phillip Island.

Video footage of the match shows Armour initially lands on his shoulder and not his head from the Pedersen tackle.

Nar Nar Goon won the match by four points and will also play finals.

Pedersen was playing only his fifth senior match after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during last year’s grand final loss to Inverloch-Kongwak.

He won the first of his two league best and fairests in his first season with Phillip Island in 2019 which was also a premiership season under coach Beau Vernon, who will represent Australia in wheelchair rugby at the Paris Paralympics.

Pedersen, 37, is in his first season as coach of Phillip Island.

Minor premiers Cora Lynn and second-placed Phillip Island have a spell in the first week of finals this weekend.