We lost the PR battle. Papers this morning were full of Scott pre-emptively whinging about how jumper punches were okay, precedents, etc. 

 

We get screwed all the time. We were screwed over Hogan, we were screwed by the umpires on the weekend. (I even heard a North supporter on the radio ringing up saying he felt guilty that every dubious decision had gone his club's way)

 

Is there nothing our club can do?

 

 

 

 

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:05, McQueen said:

After just reading the first page I was more confused than ever. If the AFL actually do try to abide by these guidelines/charter than they really do have NFI how to apply them but we all know that.

Anyway, there's a few interesting items and regulations that I reckon as a club we could use to get Salem off the hook. Refer section 3, 3.1 H - Impact of a good record. I'd copy and paste in but Crapple iPhone isn't having any of it.

How the AFL try to explain it (official document)

Hope this helps Mc.

(H) IMPACT OF A GOOD RECORD Players will no longer automatically receive a reduced base sanction for a good record. However, if a Classifiable Offence is contested or referred to the Tribunal, a Player with an exemplary record could argue that their good record constitutes exceptional and compelling circumstances under Regulation 19.7(a)(ii) (which would make it inappropriate to apply the consequences in Appendix 1 to the determined classification). In such circumstances, the Jury members would determine the appropriate sanction in their absolute discretion.

 

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:05, McQueen said:

After just reading the first page I was more confused than ever. If the AFL actually do try to abide by these guidelines/charter than they really do have NFI how to apply them but we all know that.

Anyway, there's a few interesting items and regulations that I reckon as a club we could use to get Salem off the hook. Refer section 3, 3.1 H - Impact of a good record. I'd copy and paste in but Crapple iPhone isn't having any of it.

How the AFL try to explain it (official document)

You might be onto something there, but doubt he'd get off for that otherwise everyone who'd never been rubbed out would be elbowing blokes in the head.

 

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:13, Jaded said:

Because we are nice guys, and you know what they say about nice guys...

They have big ... courtesy?

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:07, Jara said:

We lost the PR battle. Papers this morning were full of Scott pre-emptively whinging about how jumper punches were okay, precedents, etc.

Not only that Jimmy Bartel, who sits on the MRP, was on radio this morning and quoted in the papers as saying the MRP rules did not allow them to suspend players for jumper punching.

I call BS!  If they grade it as medium impact it is a suspension.  And as others have said the Cunnington hit to Bernie was to the stomach not a jumper punch. 

Bartel and all MRP panel members should refrain on commenting on events in advance of the MRP review.  To do otherwise they are prejudicing the result.

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:15, poita said:

It is time for the coach to call his players on this - how many were suspended for the entirety of last season? Now we are getting players suspended every second week.

I really don't mind that so much. Yeah, I don't want them suspended, but it's a lottery anyway, and North will think twice next time we play them. Line in the sand, etc.

  On 22/05/2017 at 06:40, DubDee said:

man just watching that footage makes me livid. those north pricks.

salems wasnt an elbow, he brushed his face with a forearm, Im surprised it was looked at, let alone a suspension

Cotchin did similar to Viney a few weeks ago and was lauded for igniting his team 

Club needs a bit of mongrel....from top down.

Not happy how we just roll over...all the bloody time.

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:17, beelzebub said:

Club needs a bit of mongrel....from top down.

Not happy how we just roll over...all the bloody time.

Unfortunately when you're beholden to the AFL that's the way it goes

  On 22/05/2017 at 06:50, Redleg said:

I agree here bub, for the sake of the players, members and the club itself we need to come and out and slam the MRP.

Every Melbourne player involved in an incident this year is suspended, while other clubs players throw punches and get fines or are let off.

We copped disgraceful umpiring and have said nothing publicly.

Now this. I want my club to stand up on the field and off. 

I feel we are the AFL's [censored].

Call a press conference and say as a club we are just disgusted at the inconsistency of this body, then cop the fine and move on.

PS.Why is the word for a female dog, a b.tch censored.

Here here

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:53, The heart beats true said:

Scott set the MRP up for this in his post game by saying they had validated punching. Just when you think you can't like a bloke any less..

Don't have to like him but you do have to admire his rat cunning.

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:53, The heart beats true said:

And for the record Cunnington's wasn't a jumper punch. He just punched him. 

Hadn't occurred to me before but maybe Cunnington is one of these "good blokes" who infest the AFL.

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:24, Akum said:

Poor poor comment. All day that scum of a club have been trying to make out that it was us who went for them. And not a peep from us. We just suck it up like goody-goodies. It was an orchestrated tactic by North to go the jumper-punch, throat-punch and gut-punch, and make it clear that the MRP had already sanctioned them so it's now go ahead. They are the only club to have tried to take advantage about this.

The Oliver snipe happened early in the game right in front of the umpire and he did nothing. If they don't pull up the first one, you know you can snipe to your heart's content and you're not going to get pinged.

Salem's was the lowest impact of all the hits.

Meanwhile, Scott whinges about something every week and no problem. Makes me absolutely sick. 

100% the silence from the club is frustrating

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:19, Dr. Gonzo said:

Unfortunately when you're beholden to the AFL that's the way it goes

All the clubs are.

Even the Shitboners.

We are a soft football club if we don't say anything, any wonder the players show up to play when they feel like it, goes from the top all the way down 

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:25, Dr. Gonzo said:

100% the silence from the club is frustrating

I doubt there's little more merit in it other than to appease us rabid supporters.

The only way it can move forward is in front of the tribunal as with Viney and Lynch case but on this occasion, we're effectively calling the MRP out on their ridiculous inconsistency and I don't see how that will benefit the club in the future.

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:55, McQueen said:

I doubt there's little more merit in it other than to appease us rabid supporters.

The only way it can move forward is in front of the tribunal as with Viney and Lynch bit on this occasion, we're effectively calling the MRP out on their ridiculous inconsistency and I don't see how that will benefit the club in the future.

Sometimes appeasing the supporters is necessary. It can help galvanise the club and create a united front 

I had almost gotten yesterday, and the role the umpires played, out of my system ......... and now we cop this crap!  The glaring inconsistencies, with our team seemingly always on the wrong side of the ledger, makes my blood boil (last bit rephrased to avoid a Demonland sanction). Eff'n disgrace!

One week for Salem is fair, the punch on Vince given it had him dry retching on the sidelines isn't a good look though. It's a cowardly cheap shot. Should've been reversed by the umpire but there were a lot of things thing umpires should've done that they didn't. 

Cunnington's was NOT a jumper punch. It was a punch to the guts and the MRP get out was to grade it low impact. Someone please do an experiment and deliver the same blow to Jimmy Bartel and Nathan Burke in the street. You would be charged with assault in an instant.

I hope McLachlin is true to his word and does something as punching is not a good look. Condoning punches to the abdomen is unacceptable

  On 22/05/2017 at 07:15, poita said:

I really don't care what happens to players from other teams. I do care, however, when our players are running around punching or elbowing their opponents in the head. I've said this before, but it is not brave, it is not tough, it is just plain stupid. Now the team suffers for what is a critical game against Gold Coast on the weekend.

Given that Salem's next game is 22 days after his last, there is a fair argument that he should be made to return through Casey. Can we afford to play guys at AFL level who aren't match fit?

It is time for the coach to call his players on this - how many were suspended for the entirety of last season? Now we are getting players suspended every second week.

Come on, Poita. We're clearly getting targeted, especially the young players like Clarrie and Tracc and Salem. North had a deliberate strategy, knowing the MRP couldn't touch them.

We saw clearly on Sunday that they're not going to get any protection from the umpires.

Do you seriously suggest that the right course of action is to just ignore it and suck it up?

The AFL have clearly given their seal of approval to North's tactics. Scott's whinging is actually part of that tactic, it helps them get away with it. Let's see if other teams will happily just lie down and take it.

I reckon it's time for the coach to stand up for his young players and do his best to protect them, not to "call" them and tell them to just cop it sweet. 

So I'm guessing no case to answer for any of the trips? Then again, how could there ever be a suspension for a trip because they can't be graded as high contact.

  On 22/05/2017 at 09:01, Pates said:

One week for Salem is fair, the punch on Vince given it had him dry retching on the sidelines isn't a good look though. It's a cowardly cheap shot. Should've been reversed by the umpire but there were a lot of things thing umpires should've done that they didn't. 

Clearly our young players aren't going to get any protection from umpires, unless something changes. Clarry got throat punched right in front of the umpire, and nothing. And clearly the MRP aren't going to do anything about it either.

I just hope that when a young player gets seriously hurt by a sniper like Higgins or a thug like Cunnington, it won't be one of ours.

Yep yesterday's tactics from north had brad Scott written all over it, target certain players and get them off there game and if you need to, punch to the gut or jumper punch as you won't get suspended, it worked we got sucked in, and then Scott comes out after and say players shouldn't get suspended for it, it was all a plan that the team carried out to perfection, north Melbourne have now taken over from hawthorn as my most hated team and I hope we smash them in 6 weeks 

  On 22/05/2017 at 06:00, Chris said:

Salem has been given a week for his elbow. 

Cunnington predictably got a $1000 fine for intentionally punching someone on the field.

The MRP are a joke! How Salem can get the same as Thompson is beyond me. 

Update. Higgins also got $1000 for striking Clarry. Both Higgins and Cuntington were deemed intentional with low impact. Higgins got off completely for hitting Vince.

The protection of that puss bag of a club continues. I hope we smash them in Hobart later in the year, don't care if the whole team ends up suspended just pummel the twerps into the ground.

Thats it , Im coming outa retirement with Byron and Rod and will sort a few out! We will cop life bans but it will be well worth it . Time to fix up this pusilanamous, flee bitten, cheap shot, feral, marsupial club once and for all!

Jumper size 40 "Slim Fit" 

 

  On 22/05/2017 at 08:17, Ted Fidge said:

I really don't mind that so much. Yeah, I don't want them suspended, but it's a lottery anyway, and North will think twice next time we play them. Line in the sand, etc.

North won't think twice at all. They targeted our young players and got the official umpires / MRP / AFL seal of approval. They were actually rewarded for their tactics.