Krakouer cleared of rough conduct
The Age
February 27, 2007
Richmond forward Andrew Krakouer has successfully challenged a two-match ban for rough conduct tonight and is free to play in round one of the AFL season.
Krakouer was cited after accidentally kicking Geelong's Darren Milburn in the head while trying to soccer the ball off the ground during the Tigers' NAB Cup loss at Skilled Stadium on Sunday.
Tribunal legal counsel Andrew Tinney argued Krakouer had other options available to him and that the 24-year-old's conduct was negligent, but the three-man jury of Emmett Dunne, Richard Loveridge and Stewart Loewe took less than 10 minutes to find him not guilty.
After the first tribunal hearing of 2007, Richmond football manager Paul Armstrong said the club regarded the incident as an accident and was pleased to have Krakouer available for the round one clash against Carlton on April 1.
"It's a collision sport and these things do happen from time to time," Armstrong said.
Krakouer said he regretted Milburn got injured but was "massively relieved" to have been cleared.
In his summary, Krakouer's advocate Michael Tovey, QC, said Krakouer was "doing what every crumbing forward does".
"You wonder what the game's coming to," Tovey said, referring to the charge against Krakouer. "Everybody there knew it was an accident."
In his evidence to the tribunal, Krakouer said he saw an opportunity to kick a goal and didn't see any players around the footy at that time.
Under questioning from tribunal counsel Tinney, Krakouer conceded if he had chosen another option such as trying to tap the footy on, pick it up or gain possession he might not have struck Milburn in the head, but added: "I didn't see anyone around the football at the time I went to kick it. I didn't see him (Milburn), my eyes were on the football."
Milburn, who gave evidence via telephone, said he was attempting to smother the kick and described his actions as routine and part of his job as a defender.
"The ball was there to be won. He was trying to kick a goal and I was trying to save a goal," Milburn, who required 20 stitches, said. "I wouldn't say it was anything out of the norm."
Field umpire Kieron Nicholls, who laid an initial charge of kicking, said Krakouer attempted soccer was with "fairly decent" force and "harder than warranted" in the circumstances.
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