Tigers to plead case over draftee's practice match banNathan Schmook
AFL.com.au
March 28, 2017[/i]
RICHMOND will put a submission to the AFL in the next 24 hours in an attempt to have draftee Shai Bolton serve his one-match suspension from a VFL practice match this week.
Bolton was charged with striking Northern Blues opponent Tom Williamson to the head in a VFL practice match last Thursday, pleading guilty on Monday for the intentional, low-impact strike.
Under AFL Victoria rules, Bolton would normally serve his ban in a VFL match, meaning he would be unavailable for AFL selection until round two of the state-league competition, which coincides with round five of the AFL season.
The Tigers have indicated they will make a submission to the AFL's football operations department and AFL Victoria to have the ban served this week.
It is understood the Tigers would need to make a case that Bolton would have been in contention for AFL selection this week to convince the league that he should serve the ban immediately.
If their submission is unsuccessful, League rules would still allow Bolton to participate in VFL practice matches until he serves his ban in the VFL Tigers' clash against North Ballarat on April 16.
The small forward would then be available for AFL selection in the Tigers' round five clash against Melbourne at the MCG.
Bolton was recruited with pick No.29 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, the Tigers' first selection.
It is considered very unlikely Richmond would have called on him for Thursday night's clash against Collingwood after the success of an already-small forward line that included Daniel Rioli, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-03-27/tigers-to-plead-case-over-draftees-practice-match-ban
