Dustin Martin shouldn’t be punished for his gesture to fans, says Mark RobinsonHerald-Sun
August 25, 2015IF we’re talking about cultural symbolism, then Dustin Martin should escape penalty for his two-finger salute to his friends in the Collingwood cheer squad on Saturday.
Up yours, he basically said, as he waved two fingers towards the black and white lunatics.
And for that, he’s into the principal’s office, which is the AFL football department.
Perhaps instead Martin should’ve borrowed Adam Goodes’ imaginary spear, because we now know that’s not an issue for the AFL.
Goodes’ dance and throw down was a cultural thing, despite it being only a couple of years old.
The old two-fingered salute was also a cultural thing, a national treasure until the single-digit salute came along.
The raising of the middle finger ruined it for everyone because it went from up yours to eff you and soon enough players were in trouble.
Matthew Richardson was fined for $5000 for raising the finger to the crowd, as did Nathan Brown at Richmond, but Richard Colless, then the Swans president, got away with it when he raised his middle finger to the TV camera in a message to Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.
This is a minor issue, but the Goodes incident makes it a curious situation for the AFL.
I fully supported Goodes war dance, thought it was terrific and was delighted the AFL looked at it likewise. But others didn’t and in the end it divided a nation.
The Martin stuff surely is banter.
Some Collingwood cheer squad members said Martin started the so-called fight by raising the two fingers and they responded in kind and en masse.
Sorry, but don’t believe you.
That Martin’s gesture has been referred to the AFL football operations department means a fine is forthcoming.
If that’s the case, Martin has every right to feel unfairly punished.
Imaginary spear versus two fingers?
Confrontational and misunderstood versus banter and laughs.
The list of dos and don’ts on the AFL behavioural list makes for interesting reading.
You can high-five the crowd, even touch the crowd, even charge at the crowd (thanks Michael O’Loughlin), but not show them the finger or two fingers.
You can hug the crowd (thanks James Hird), but don’t cross your wrists, which is symbolism for a friend in jail (thanks Dustin Martin, Andrew Krakouer, Brendon Goddard and Michael Gardiner).
You can do the double cobra (thanks Levi Casboult), but you can’t do the “shotgun” (thanks Mark Williams).
You can call Essendon players dopey, as a player at Greater Western Sydney did, but can’t call them dopers and heaven forbid if you pretend to inject something (thanks Sam Mitchell).
There are rules and regulations for everything.
We all know Martin shouldn’t have bit.
But what of the Collingwood fans?
At the weekend, they were face of Collingwood and the footage went around the nation.
If Eddie thinks that’s cool, then that’s OK.
But all in all, it wasn’t a good day on and off the field for the Collingwood army.
http://www.news.com.au/national/dustin-martin-shouldnt-be-punished-for-his-gesture-to-fans-says-mark-robinson/story-e6frfkp9-1227497130108
