‘Stop insulting everyone’: AFL urged to fix flaw that’s been ‘consistently wrong for eight years’Ben Waterworth
Fox Sports
June 29th, 2022 Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson says the AFL must stop “insulting” the footy world by grading certain bumps ‘careless’ as AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley urged the league to make an “essential” MRO guidelines change.
Robinson and Whateley’s comments come after the AFL tribunal handed Geelong star Tom Stewart a four-game ban for his ugly bump on Saturday that left Richmond star Dion Prestia concussed.
“As I said from the start, I accept the tribunal’s decision. I was left to their discretion,” Stewart told reporters post-hearing on Tuesday night.
“Obviously disappointed in my actions and I had to own that as a man.
“Still my immediate response was Dion’s wellness and that of his family that have had to experience this. So as disappointed and disheartened as I am right now, it’s still not about me. It’s about Dion’s wellbeing and how he is.
“Ultimately what I chose to do resulted in somebody getting knocked out – that’s not how I play the game, never has been. My actions resulted in a consequence that I didn’t want to happen.”
The MRO graded Stewart’s rough conduct charge as severe impact, high contact and, crucially, careless conduct, with the latter definition indicating the act was assessed as a bump, not a raised elbow.
Past acts from ex-Power player Lindsay Thomas (2018) and Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield (2021) that yielded similar gradings under the MRO matrix led to three-game bans.
As Whateley pointed out on AFL 360 on Tuesday night, Stewart’s ban lifts the penalty for any ‘careless’ act that results in concussion for an opponent from three weeks to four weeks.
Speaking on Fox Footy, Whateley said the tribunal’s decision “further enshrines the penalties for players who inflict concussion as we go along”.
Asked if the four-week ban would be a big enough penalty or deterrent for players to stop similar actions, Whateley told AFL 360: “I would answer that partly with the game did more this time than it did last time. So 18 months ago, it settled at three weeks (for Dangerfield’s bump) and now it has lifted that to four weeks.”
The veteran broadcaster said the “natural progression” was to grade bumps like Stewart’s as ‘intentional’, rather than ‘careless’.
“There should be the intentional bump,” Whateley said.
“It‘s never been ruled this way under this regime. It’s time to stop that and actually assess intentional bumps that can have no other outcome other than serious injury and put them in the international basket, which allows you to provide greater penalty as you go. It means you’re in the five to six category (for the Stewart bump) as a starting point.
“So is the game doing enough? I think that‘s the next progression between seasons is to change that, which has been rigid and consistent – but I think it’s been consistently wrong for eight years and it’s time to adjust that to move with the overall philosophy that they clearly are aiming for.”
Robinson said it was baffling how acts like Stewart’s can be graded as ‘careless’ when he intended to bump – he ran past the ball – and showed no duty of care in the moment, despite showing obvious remorse after making contact.
“The AFL and MRO – not the person, but the system – how about you stop insulting football by calling that ‘careless’. You‘re insulting everyone,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“That wasn‘t careless. He (Stewart) said he cared for Dion after the event – ‘I was really worried’, I’m sure you were – but in that moment, you did not care because you went past the ball and you didn’t show a duty of care.
“So don‘t give us ‘he was careless’ when he actually didn’t show any care in the moment. Let’s strike that word and stop insulting us.”
Whateley added: “It’s really easy to move that to intentional once you move past the ball in such a manner. It‘s long overdue and it’s essential in its application next year.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2022-tom-stewart-tribunal-ban-for-bump-afl-360-hosts-urge-league-to-change-mro-careless-grading-to-intentional/news-story/9c751e70283ae0851311c4738a9a70d7
