Relief for Tiger Jackson, but questions remainCaroline Wilson
April 27, 2011A SHAMED and repentant Daniel Jackson confronted his senior Richmond teammates on Anzac Day morning and unreservedly apologised for letting them down. It was a miserable way to start his 25th birthday. Both he and his club were fully expecting him to be sidelined for three matches.
Having inexplicably hit North's Scott Thompson in the head with two minutes remaining in Sunday's game, Jackson managed to sour for himself the Tigers' first win for the year and break a 2010 vow to be more disciplined.
Jackson has become a repeat offender in front of the match review panel. Runner-up in the Tigers' best-and-fairest two seasons ago, he made the top 10 last year despite missing five games through suspension and more through injury.
After being sidelined for two matches for rough conduct involving Fremantle's Hayden Ballantyne last year - which also occurred late in the game - Jackson wrote on his Facebook page: ''Dan Jackson is sick of playing a pussy sport and so is retiring in favour of playing a real man's sport. Perhaps I'll be better suited to the NRL?''
A member of Richmond's leadership group, Jackson - who has joined the chorus bemoaning intrusion on players' private lives - was forced to remove the comment and apologise or face further AFL penalties. On Monday, he was taken through the Thompson incident before apologising to the leadership group.
The good news for Jackson is he has, surprisingly, been suspended for just one game despite his poor record. No need to check with the Tigers as to whether they planned to appeal. His shoulder to Thompson's head was deemed high, reckless and low impact. The Kangaroos' medical report must have been kind to him.
This is just the latest in a strange series of decisions by the 2011 match review panel. Two nights ago, Carlton's Jarrad Waite said on One HD that his backwards kick aimed between the legs of Tiger Luke McGuane was the ''low point'' of his career, yet the incident did not trouble the panel.
Kicking an opponent in that area was considered taboo in Australian football, and the vision clearly showed how deliberate was Waite's intent. And yet the match review panel cleared him, citing medical evidence.
Waite's escape - and his record is not flash - became more ridiculous in the context of last week's decision to suspend Collingwood's Chris Dawes for a game for unmenacing contact with Tiger Reece Conca. Collingwood had nothing to lose, appealed, and justice prevailed.
Even the AFL felt compelled to subtly intervene when another repeat offender Campbell Brown, now at the Gold Coast, was suspended for only two games for a behind-the-play elbow that hit Callan Ward's face. Football boss Adrian Anderson said he would review penalties for off-the-ball incidents.
So Jackson has been one of the lucky ones. And he has - again - vowed to change his ways. Surely he is now coming close to losing the ''out-of-character'' tag usually applied to him after such clashes.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/relief-for-tiger-jackson-but-questions-remain-20110426-1dv57.html#ixzz1KdicWGuU
