helps our chances dramtically if he isnt playing

means we can hard tag his brother, and we should do pretty well at clearances

edit: on the bad news though, pearce and motlop may be returns this week

And Goodes offered one match for charging Simon Godfrey in the last quarter. Would be two if he challenges and loses.

They'll appeal the ban. Nothing surer.

He deserves the 2 weeks.

Crude bump that forced Hayes to the changing rooms for attention.

Knowing our luck, Port will appeal and he'll get off.

Be a massive bonus if he misses.

hayes does get slung in the tackle but glad he wont be playing v us

He'll be fronting the tribunal tonight, Port contesting it.

A little birdie told me that Port aren't challenging the guilty plea, but are trying to downgrade the charge from reckless to negligent, and hense 93.75 points = reprimand.

He'll get off.

They'll bring up the Stenglein bump from this week, and that will be it.

Surprise surprise, he got off.

He sure did, what a joke.

How surprising! He was going to be suspended until they got to the question "Who is Port playing this week? Oh, its only Melbourne, we'll let him play then". Same rule applied in the Headland case. Of course, Burgoyne will also be best-on-ground without picking up a hard ball all afternoon against us on Sunday. He will then pay tribute to his recently deceased grandfather and give the one fingered salute to demon fans who dare to question his right to play after breaking Lenny Hayes' collarbone last week.

Just waiting for Goodes to be let off now since it was only a Melbourne player that he gutlessly whacked in the back for shutting him out of the game on Saturday night.

Just waiting for Goodes to be let off now since it was only a Melbourne player that he gutlessly whacked in the back for shutting him out of the game on Saturday night.

Reprimand. Free to play this week !!!

Reprimand. Free to play this week !!!

Unbelievable. The tribunal has swung 180 degrees. May as well instruct our blokes to trip, headbut, punch, elbow and take flying drop kicks, They'll be cited, but they won't get suspended... Oh wait they play for Melbourne - disregard the previous comments.

There's only one word i can say to this, and the word is "Moloney".

There's only one word i can say to this, and the word is "Moloney".

Yep. I utterly hate the AFL for their spineless approach to the game this season. It has made me have no faith in any of the values they uphold, and if it weren't for the fact that I love the Demons so much, I'd never watch another game for the rest of my life. Makes me sick.

There's only one word i can say to this, and the word is "Moloney".

Beamer has every right to be disgusted and furious.

What an absolute disgrace his suspension was. As was the 'love slap' that got Miller suspended for 2 weeks last year.

The AFL is fast becoming a joke. There are ten different bodies governing the game, and yet none of them work in unity. Pathetic.

utterly hate the AFL for their spineless approach to the game this season. It has made me have no faith in any of the values they uphold,

Agree. to quote REM - I'm losing my religion.

Beamer has every right to be disgusted and furious.

I still get shitty every time I see Bartel get the footy. Lying little [censored].

dare i say

round 1 hodge- kicks lappin, 0 weeks lappin still to play, plays melbourne next week and plays very well

round 3 headland punches selwood a few times, 0 weeks, plays melbourne the next week and stars

round 5 burgoyne head high hit, 0 weeks, plays melbourne the next week......... to be continued

why bother with even citing them, they all bloody well get off anyway, let me guess he was provoked but a look hayes gave him

Burgoyne found not guilty

By Roger Vaughan

May 01, 2007

PORT Adelaide midfield player Shaun Burgoyne remains eligible for the Brownlow medal after the AFL tribunal cleared him tonight of a rough conduct charge.

Burgoyne argued successfully that he made no substantial contact with the head and neck of St Kilda onballer Lenny Hayes during the match at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.

He also argued that the contact was not reckless, but that defence became irrelevant once the three-man panel dismissed the charge.

Burgoyne said at the start of his evidence that the lure of winning his first Brownlow medal was one of the reasons that he would never intentionally commit a reportable offence.

"I aim to play all 22 games (this season), I'm a contender for the Brownlow Medal, I use that as a motivating force on the weekend," he said.

"I do nothing stupid to put any of that in jeopardy."

Burgoyne, who would have faced a three-match suspension had the tribunal ruled against him, has made a strong start to the season, and he is among the top 10 in betting for the game's highest individual honour.

Hayes hurt his neck in the incident, but Burgoyne's counsel, Mark Griffin, SC, suggested that the injury occurred when the Saints player hit the ground.

The jury only took a few minutes to rule in Burgoyne's favour.

AAP

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,2...1-23211,00.html

Unbelievable. The tribunal has swung 180 degrees. May as well instruct our blokes to trip, headbut, punch, elbow and take flying drop kicks, They'll be cited, but they won't get suspended... Oh wait they play for Melbourne - disregard the previous comments.

agreed. its amazing how lienent they are being but does add uncertainty for the players that go on the field who dont know what will give then a record and what wont. Still AFL is garbage at the moment with push in the back the worst rule (McVeigh thinking of and several others), channel 7 & 10 a disgrace to australian sports television and the afl being lienent on eagles. Once watching 4 games a week on tv (with no pay tv) i now watch 1 (channel 10 sat night) because i hate 7 so much. prob off the topic but i feel the afl have stuffed up so many areas its not funny anymore.

One of the most patheticly unprofessional organisations in the free world, the AFL, along with Telstra and the CBA.

And the only line they have to drill out is the old "The game is in better shape now than ever" garbage.

If any of you weren't completely incompetent, the game would be doing TWICE as well.

I'm absolutely not kidding when I say there are things being done in the AFL that I could do better. And that IS a sad state of affairs.

Australian Rules is sick. Sicker than it should be, and it's all very preventable.

I'm getting closer all the time to writing off football as a complete waste of time.

One of the most patheticly unprofessional organisations in the free world, the AFL, along with Telstra and the CBA.

.........And quite possibly the ICC and definitely the ARU :D !!!

And just on a side note......

There was a new rule instituted on obstruction in the Rugby League at the beginning of the season.

And this rule change has caused more issues and problems within the code than anything I have seen for quite some time, and today there was a meeting of the sixteen club coaches, the referees boss and other NRL bigwigs to discuss what to do with the obstruction v decoy runner rule.

The reason I bring this up, is that the NRL actually admitted that the rule change was not working for players, coaches and fans, and was therefore harming rather than helping the code, and changed it back to the way the rule was being interpreted in 2006. This decision has been very well received by all.

Now I think that the NRL should be applauded in making the change and admitting the error before any more problems arose out of the mess. But I would find it very hard to believe if the AFL would ever admit something was so wrong that it needed a revision mid-season in order to help the code or its fans.

yeah i cant see the god like demitriou and anderson admitting they have ruined the game in the last few years and changing all the stupid rules they have imposed upon our game

AFL is sick because it's run by a weasel arrogant politican.

I have to say though, on the Burgoyne one, I think it's fair enough he got off. Annoying, but fair enough. If you can't go in to get the ball in the wet, we are going to be so sanitised it's ridiculous.

AFL is sick because it's run by a weasel arrogant politican.

I have to say though, on the Burgoyne one, I think it's fair enough he got off. Annoying, but fair enough. If you can't go in to get the ball in the wet, we are going to be so sanitised it's ridiculous.

In that sense I agree with you. He went in to get the ball, it was wet and slippery and Lenny copped it. Sounds similar to the Moloney incident, doesn't it? (We should clarify that Moloney didn't even make contact!).

The problem here is, the AFL has said loud and clear that they are cracking down on head-high contact. The MRP looked at the incident, took the impact into account and handed out a 3 match ban (2 with early plea).

Port Adelaide went to the tribunal, who looked at it, and said "yeah look, the AFL are cracking down on head-high contact, but I guess it was wet and you didn't meant to hurt the player. Yeah you can get off".

My question here is, how can two bodied in the tribunal and the MRP, who are essentially dealing with the same thing, make such different decisions?

The tribunal could have given him 1 instead of 3, given it was wet and he did try to get the ball. But how can they reduce a 3 week sentence to no weeks? There is simply no cohesion between the two bodies, just like there is no cohesion between the games-rule committee and the umpires boss. Everyone does whatever the hell they like and the fans just stand there bemused.