8:09:22 PM Tue 25 May, 2004
Port Adelaide defender Damien Hardwick was fined $1500 by the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday for making contact with a Richmond runner.
But team mate Peter Burgoyne, who pleaded guilty to a charge of kneeing Chris Hyde, will miss games against Geelong and the Brisbane Lions after copping a two-match ban.
Hardwick pleaded not guilty to the charge, laid by the league’s investigation’s officer Rick Lewis, with his advocate citing a ‘verbal barrage’ from the runner as provocation.
Video footage of the final-quarter incident showed Hardwick pushing the Tigers runner in the back with his left shoulder as he made his way from the centre square.
“The situation wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t open his mouth. When he opened his mouth and abused me, he became part of the game,” Hardwick said while giving evidence.
“If a player said that to me, I’m going to remonstrate, if a man on the street said that to me, I’d remonstrate, if the Prime Minister of Australia said that to me I’d remonstrate.”
“It doesn’t give the runner the right to verbalise me just because he’s wearing a green uniform.”
He also said he felt the contact was minimal and was surprised it had received so much attention.
Tribunal chairman Brian Collis, QC, found Hardwick did make unnecessary and unreasonable contact with the runner, but described it as contact without any real force.
“Whatever be the situation of who said what to whom, we accept Damien Hardwick’s belief that something unacceptable was said,” Collis said.
“(But) players are there to play football and runners are there to deliver messages.”
In the Burgoyne case, Collis described Burgoyne’s actions, a short, sharp knee to Hyde’s right leg as the pair jostled before a centre bounce, as completely unnecessary.
“I know what I did was wrong,” Burgoyne said while explaining to the Tribunal he was trying to stop Hyde from making contact with his left side, which was heavily padded due to a significant contusion of the buttock sustained against the Kangaroos two weeks ago.
Power coach Mark Williams was also called, telling the Tribunal he was helping Burgoyne come to terms with the close-checking opponents he now attracts due to an increased role in the midfield.
But he also conceded that in this instance, Burgoyne didn’t handle the situation in the perfect manner and reacted poorly.
I don't care if Matt Hornsby did say something to Hardwick, the fact is that Hardwick deliberately went out of his way to make contact with the Richmond runner who had his back to him and moved away from the area of conflict. Let's face it, Port was winning - there was no need to continue the argument or make the point. Derek Humphrey-whatever said on White Line Fever that Hardwick was lucky not to get a week. Hardwick should have been dragged by his coach for this indiscretion. It was nothing more than an act of thuggery.
