Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has revealed veteran Steven May has been left ‘shattered’ after the AFL Tribunal decision to hand down a three-match suspension, declaring that his defender always had a “play at the ball”.
May was sent straight to the Tribunal by Match Review Officer Michael Christian after the collision, which left Evans with a broken nose, a lost tooth and a concussion, was graded as careless conduct with high contact and severe impact.
“We think he had a play on the ball and it was a football incident,” the Melbourne coach said.
“From my perspective, that’s ultimately the argument that we’ll go with.
“Clearly, there’s some legal stuff that they’ll go through in terms of the case as part of the appeal.
“But you can see it’s divided a lot of the public and I think it’s one of those cases where everyone wants it to go through the appeals (process) and see what the outcome is going to be.”
But Goodwin added that it was important that players have the onus to take more care approaching contests, but wants them to continue to be educated on what they could and couldn’t do in the wake of a crackdown on head-high contact.
May will face the appeals board next week to contest the bump that divided the footy world, where the club will continue to argue the legality of the collision, in an attempt to get him back on the field before the second-last round.
The coach says May left the ground last week, thinking he’d done nothing wrong.
“Right from the outset when he first came to the bench, he was a little bit confused and thought he’d done the right thing and gone at the footy,” Goodwin said.
“He was shattered, he was disappointed with the outcome and clearly frustrated.
“This is part of the process, go through the appeals, get the clarity required and we’ll all move forward post that.”
With the Appeals Board sitting next week, May will miss this week through suspension; however, as he was also concussed in the Blues clash, he was to miss that game anyway.
“He seems in good spirits and he’s obviously stepping through his protocols in the right manner,” Goodwin said.
Steven May. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)
AFL fine foul-mouthed Lions star
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has copped a $3000 fine for his foul-mouth tirade towards the officials bench last week.
The AFL deemed Zorko used “insulting and profane language” as he exited the field of play during the last quarter of his team’s 10-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba.
“The AFL reminds all players that the AFL has no tolerance for abusive or insulting conduct towards AFL umpires and other match officials,” the AFL said in a statement.
Zorko played a key role in Brisbane’s premiership-winning campaign last year, and he is averaging a career-high 26.7 disposals per game this season.
The Lions sit second on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record, and they’ll be aiming to bank their fifth win on the trot when they take on Gold Coast in Saturday’s QClash at People First Stadium.
Meanwhile, Hawthorn captain James Sicily can escape with a $3750 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Carlton’s Blake Acres in Thursday’s 24-point win over the Blues.
The rough conduct charge was graded as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact.
Lyon wants ‘pure’ first round in AFL draft overhaul
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has continued his club’s push for an overhaul of the AFL drafting system, calling for a “pure” first round free of father-son and academy selections.
The Saints, led by president Andrew Bassat, have repeatedly voiced their disapproval of the price clubs pay for talent that they have first rights to under current rules.
On Friday, Lyon turned a spotlight on Greg Swann’s advice to rebuilding clubs, who the new AFL football boss urged to make tough calls and invest in long-term strategies.
Swann – who was involved in rebuilds at Collingwood, Carlton and the Brisbane Lions – suggested the likes of West Coast should follow other clubs’ draft blueprints in their bid to climb out of the doldrums.
But Lyon insisted it isn’t that simple when the current drafting system is compromised by father-son and academy talent being selected at the top end.
“We’re fighting for equity,” said Lyon, who is seeking to end St Kilda’s 59-year premiership drought in his second stint at the helm.
“There’s some inequity in the draft and people push back, but the simple solution (is) maybe make the first round untouchable.
Ross Lyon, Coach of the Saints. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“Have that pure, the first round. Take out father-sons, take out northern academies, take out NGA.
“The first 18 picks, just make it pure so the talent gets spread.
“Then that will really test whether the aim is to make sure we just want people playing.”
Lyon’s comments won’t go unnoticed at AFL House, where former Brisbane chief executive Swann started in his new role this week.
On Monday, Swann joked he had received “43 pages of stuff” that invested parties want him to fix in the competition.
He insisted he would not make “radical” changes to the game, but wants to reduce the overall length of matches and get rid of the umpire’s bounce.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said there is “lots” for Swann to address, including competition equalisation and the substitute rule.
“Let’s just deal with the sub. That’s an easy one, I reckon,” Goodwin said on Friday when asked what could be fixed immediately.
“Let’s just get rid of it and get five on the bench.
“I think every coach would be happy, and I think the players would be happy as well.”
Goodwin’s comments echoed sentiments expressed about the substitute rule by rival coaches Chris Scott (Geelong), Brad Scott (Essendon) and Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) this week.
Chris Scott also weighed in on the debate around the father-son rule, which he declared “strange” and “incongruous” with an equalised competition.
“I think it’s a relic of the past,” Scott said on Friday.
“It was a nice, romantic idea in the ’70s when the game wasn’t equalised.”
The two-time Geelong premiership coach added: “It all comes down to the price that clubs have to pay.
“Like, if it’s fundamental to the history of our game that the father-son rule is maintained, OK, well then it’s incumbent on the AFL to make sure that the price paid for generational players is appropriate.
“That was as true with Tom Hawkins as it is true with Will Ashcroft.”
– with AAP
