Redleg

I will tell you what I am really angry about, playing the Cats at Geelong, 28 times in the last 30 years, while Carlton, Essendon, Richmond, Collingwood and probably Hawthorn, haven’t seen the place. I won’t even touch on the fact that Cats played Roos and Eagles twice this year and finished the season hardly leaving their home ground. I agree with Jaded No More, if Dees weren’t around, I wouldn’t watch footy anymore. It’s so far off a level playing field it’s not sport anymore, just another business, with all the dirty things that go with big business.

It’s not his fault he got off. He shouldn’t be booed, he and his team should just be well beaten.

Well there is not many others. In legal contest, injury is accident. Therefore it has be a contest for the ball and not an election to bump.

I said the same at the time, even if we lost.

I am not the only lawyer on DL and would be interested to read others views. To me it appears to be a highly technical ruling by the Appeals Board, based upon words used by the Tribunal Chairman. As I wrote before the decision, the fact that Gleeson said he was found guilty of contesting in an unsafe manner, when he would absolutely know, the word bump was the basis of the suspension and the rule, is mind boggling from such an experienced AFL advocate and Tribunal Chairman. If it was just a contest then he gets off. But he jumped off the ground, didn’t try and grab the ball and bumped the player in the head ,causing concussion. The Appeals Board has criticised his word use and said it was a denial of natural justice and procedural fairness. It now puts other penalties into question. Just argue every bump is a contest because the ball is nearby and you braced at last second.

But with Barry they said it was in play, as the ball was only 100 metres away. In the Moloney hearing, it was decided that running towards a player and then avoiding him was dangerous, as the victim could think someone on a football field might contact him.

New tactics this week, bomb long into the left forward picket( to an out numbered sole tall key forward with all small forwards to stand 20-30 metres away and at all costs, ignore any leading forward, or one who has made space.

You forgot “the vibe”.

Then they had to find him innocent. So should Paddy Ryder have got two weeks, for standing still while someone ran into him? Should Chandler have got two weeks for a legal tackle, where a player was unfortunately concussed? Anyway have a good night everyone, I am off to dream about our flag.

And here is where the rat walked into the room. "There's no basis in the open hearing for the Tribunal's determination that Cripps' conduct was a bump, especially in light of the Tribunal's declaration this was a genuine contest.

That's how our year has gone Daz. We should be on top having beaten Swans, Dogs and Pies and not giving a rat's about Cripps and the Blues. Our kicking for goals has been a disgrace and that is why we are where we are. I have one question, why did the Tribunal Chairman Jeff Gleeson, an extremely experienced and competent Sports advocate, say that Cripps was contesting not bumping? As I said in an earlier post, this stinks to high heaven, as it has led to the successful appeal. Why did he say that? If he said it was a bump, it was all over. I said I smelt a rat. The AFL can now say we tried to protect the head, we suspended him, the Tribunal agreed, but the Appeals Board saw it differently. The star plays, the crowds come, the media salivates and the Brownlow has another live runner. IMO Gil can't leave quick enough.

The Carlton QC probably did it for free, as he is on their Board.

April this year.

The hulking ruckman left Day with a concussion after the pair collided in an incident which divided opinion among seasoned AFL observers. Some felt the ban was justified, since Day had been forced into concussion protocols and substituted out of Sunday's 69-point loss to the Saints, while others considered Ryder hard done by, arguing the Saints ruckman had simply held his ground as Day ran into him.

I don't think they can, but they could site him for unduly rough play and suspend him again, but they would probably then get an injunction.

I think you are missing the point. I am sure they have found he contested, not bumped. Paddy Ryder who stood still and had a player run into him and get whiplash, copped two weeks. He should sue.

I hope Chandler is furious with us for not supporting him.

Don't worry, the next no name will cop plenty.

The rat is now running all over the Appeals Board hearing room and heading back to the AFL offices.

Appeals Board is ex an Supreme Court Judge and 2 former players who are lawyers. It is now hard to read, taking so long. Is it to be we considered the submissions long and hard, but the appeal fails, or while we understand the reason for the AFL rule to protect heads, we have on a technicality, found this concussion was caused by a legal contest, not a bump?

Just to top things off, Carlton is to get a draft compo pick for a 30 year old retiring rather than be vaccinated under the AFL guidelines. Give us a break.

That rat is getting more smelly.

The door has been opened. Apparently the Tribunal said he was contesting the ball but should have been more careful. They didn’t say he bumped. I smell a rat. Why wouldn’t they have simply found he bumped? Is this a set up to get him off at the last stop, so it looks like they fought hard to suspend him. We will see.

His injury history is playing nearly every game since his second season and only really being injured this year. Let's not rewrite history.

No dramas, Max can probably play against him at the Cats or Port, as they are apparently very interested too. I am not advocating we get Grundy, but surely he would be better than a less talented, less experienced ruckman, who will probably cost us about $200k less and may not help Max as much as he can. I don't see any other AA ruckmen rushing over to us. What is the value of having Max for a couple more years and maybe fitter and fresher in finals? It's also interesting that Max seems to be in favour of getting him across to us and met with him and our FD. I am sure JT and TL will make the right decision.