Essendon legend James Hird has labelled North Melbourne defender Jackson Archer’s three-match suspension as “ridiculous”.
On Tuesday night, Archer had his three-match suspension upheld by the AFL tribunal following his collision with Bulldogs defender Luke Cleary during the Kangaroos’ 16-point round-one loss.
The 22-year-old was cited by match review officer Michael Christian, who deemed the grading of the rough conduct as careless, severe impact and high contact.
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Jackson Archer of the Kangaroos. Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images
After the panel underwent more than an hour of deliberation, Archer’s appeal to have his charge thrown out was rejected.
Cleary was knocked out cold in the incident and had to be stretchered off the field.
The tribunal’s decision was largely based on the outcome, a reasoning Hird believed to be wrong.
When giving his evidence, Archer explained that he gets coached to play pressing defence to make sure he does not get leapfrogged by his opposition, which was why he decelerated as he approached the contest.
The AFL‘s lawyer, Andrew Woods, argued that Archer should have reduced his momentum earlier as was not in a position to take possession of the ball first.
Asked how he would coach Archer in that same situation, Hird conceded that the youngster needed to abandon the contest.
Jackson Archer had his three-match ban upheld for rough conduct involving Jordan Ridley. Nine
“It’s difficult but you want your players to have contact, you want your players to actually approach the ball and hit up at the player,” he told Nine’s Footy Classified on Tuesday night.
“The only thing I’d say to Jackson Archer is next time you have to tread water and let him win the ball and potentially dispose of the ball, which goes against everything you’re teaching players.
“But if you want to avoid suspension, tread water and don’t make contact which I think is a bit ridiculous.”
In the tribunal’s reasoning that Archer’s offence was rough contact, chairman Jeff Gleeson claimed “he slowed too little, too late” before making contact.
Earlier in the hearing, Archer said he reached out to Cleary the day after the incident via text message and the Dogs star acknowledged it wasn’t his fault.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge had also come out in support of the rival player.
“I think we can use a civil law approach to this,” he said.
“[On] the balance of probabilities, was there intent? Did Jackson Archer try and clean Luke Cleary up? No, he didn’t. Not for a minute did he want to hurt Luke, I don’t think.
“So based on what I’d like to happen, I don’t think he should be out of the game.”
In the second hearing of the night, Richmond‘s Tom Lynch had his one-game suspension upheld after a nasty bump on Carlton’s Tom De Konig.
Tom Lynch hits Tom de Koning high. Fox Footy
Lynch was cited for the incident in the Tigers’ shock round-one win over the Blues, despite the opposition player passing his concussion protocols.
The key forward will miss Richmond’s next match against Port Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.
Hawthorn defender Jack Scrimshaw also had his three-match suspension upheld after losing his appeal for the impact of his striking offence to be downgraded.
