Mel Bourne

Some folks may recall the Leigh Matthews/Neville Bruns incident back in 85. Leigh Matthews was charged with grievous bodily harm by a police officer who was on duty at the match, and was deregistered by the league for a period of weeks. Now this was back in the “tough old days” before all the regulation and ultra-professionalism that followed over the years. One would imagine the same would apply in the current epoch. Regardless of Bradshaw’s wishes, the message it sends to society by banning someone from work for a few weeks for an outright assault is disturbing. Damn the game. It leaks into the popular culture. And that’s the last thing we need more of as a society. He should be formally charged.