The AFL’s match review panel officer Michael Christian should ask “more questions” to establish intent before laying charges like the one against Western Bulldogs forward Rhylee West that was thrown out on Tuesday night, according to his coach Luke Beveridge.
As he declared his support for a review of the rules that eliminate players from contention for the Rising Star award who are suspended for football acts, Beveridge said players should “always get off” when accidents occurred “regardless of how hurt the other player is”.
West was cleared of a rough conduct charge, and had his one-week suspension overturned, after a collision with Collingwood veteran Jeremy Howe in the goal square at Marvel Stadium during last Friday’s match.
West was running at pace and collected Howe high as he attempted to take possession of the ball but successfully argued he only braced for contact and caught Howe as he went to tackle his Magpie teammate Brayden Maynard.
While happy that the tribunal process delivered the outcome it should have, Beveridge said instances like that shouldn’t even make it that far.
“It was totally incidental, he was trying to do something and a Collingwood player ran into him,” Beveridge said on Wednesday.
“Ideally, that is picked up before he’s charged and we don’t have to worry about it, or questions are asked and maybe a bit more time is spent on something like that so it doesn’t end up going to the panel.
“I’ve always thought if you could actually establish whether a player intended to hurt someone or not, and people talk about football acts and non-football acts, I think you can work out whether there is clear intent.
“When there are accidents or instances that there’s no real intent, I think the player should always get off, regardless of how hurt the other player is.
“I think you can use the old civil test, the balance of probabilities, the 50-50 test rather than beyond reasonable doubt.”
The Bulldogs didn’t challenge the two-game suspension given to young gun Sam Darcy for his heavy hit on Maynard that also ruled him ineligible for the Rising Star.
A similar fate befell prohibitive favourite Harley Reid, who copped a two-game ban for a dangerous tackle.
But amid the fallout, Geelong premiership coach Chris Scott, who won the Rising Star in 1994 after a suspension ruled Corey McKernan out, said the “benchmark for being suspended is so much tighter” now and the fairest component was a “relic” and “a bit antiquated to me”.
Beveridge said he agreed a conversation should be had.
“I am aware that Chris Scott made that the evolution of our thinking and the criteria with what you could get away with back then you can’t get away with now,” he said.
“I think that’s a definite conversation to be had. How you get to the point where you work out what gets through the gateway and what doesn’t? I don’t know.
“I think what Chris Scott said was very valid based on how the game has evolved, the four cameras, the sensitivity around concussion, but I’ll stay out of working out (how) to do it.”
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