Brayden Maynard will be taught his destiny on the AFL tribunal tonight after one of the crucial controversial bumps in current soccer historical past.
The listening to will kick off at 4pm AEST, however is anticipated to pull on for hours, with Maynard anticipated to provide proof.
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Maynard was making an attempt to smother a kick from exterior 50 from star Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw within the first qualifying remaining on the MCG, leaping into the air, earlier than turning and bracing his shoulder for affect with Brayshaw and catching his head, knocking out the Dees gun for 2 minutes.
With Maynard and Collingwood figures alike labelling the tried smother as a “football act”, the next referral to the Tribunal by AFL government normal supervisor of soccer Laura Kane despatched the soccer world right into a frenzy.
Maynard was referred on to the Tribunal beneath Kane’s title, moderately than the standard strategy of the Match Review Officer Michael Christian making the cost, with Christian believing Maynard had no case to reply – a perception he was keen to give up over.
4.50pm — ‘Conduct was unreasonable’: AFL’s submission
AFL counsel Andrew Woods mentioned the league was arguing that the incident was “unreasonable in the circumstances”.
“This type of contact isn’t common,” he mentioned. “Leaping forward in the air with force to an opponent running in the opposite direction holds a key risk of badly injuring their opponent. It’s a dangerous action to undertake and it breaches the duty of care owed to the other player.”
He argued that gamers have to take note of whether or not they’re risking the security of the opposite participant whether or not they undertake one thing equivalent to a smother in order they’re “not going to unreasonably risk the safety of the other player”.
“Unlike in the ancient game of AFL football, there are times in the modern game where you do have to pull your punches,” Woods mentioned.
He additionally argued that Maynard ought to have jumped extra upright, moderately than operating in direction of Brayshaw.
Woods additionally argued that if he didn’t flip his shoulder, it logically would have lowered the affect.
He additionally mentioned that gamers on this scenario might have to realised that it’s too unsafe to leap along with his ahead momentum.
4.35pm — ‘S**t, he’s there’: Maynard fronts tribunal
The listening to has begun with Brayden Maynard fronting the tribunal and giving his aspect of the story.
Asked he anticipated Brayshaw to be immediately in entrance of him, Maynard mentioned “absolutely not”.
Maynard mentioned he got here in and that Brayshaw was to his proper however when he regarded again after the smother, Brayshaw was in entrance of him.
He mentioned he didn’t count on Brayshaw to maneuver in the way in which he did after kicking the ball.
“I saw Angus Brayshaw come out of the front of the stoppage and running towards me,” Maynard mentioned.
“I decided to come forward, but as you can see, I jumped straight in the air.
“I do recall making contact with the ball to smother it.
“I had to jump in the air to try and touch the ball. I jumped off two feet, straight in the air.
“When I jumped, I was looking at the football the whole time.
“When I was in the air and smothering the ball, I looked at the football, felt like I made connection, then turned my head to land and ‘s**t, he was there’.
“It was a surprise he had come into my way.
“It was almost like a flinch reaction. I seized up.
“Next thing I know he was on the floor and I was a bit rattled myself.”
AFL counsel Andrew Woods confirmed imaginative and prescient of the incident which confirmed the incident.
He mentioned he believed Maynard and Brayshaw have been immediately reverse.
Woods mentioned that Maynard left the bottom nearly as he kicked the ball however that Maynard didn’t bounce straight up and down, however that he was additionally leaping ahead, which Maynard agreed was with some momentum.
He requested if it was “clear to you that you were going to collide hard with Brayshaw?”
Maynard: “No. I did not know what was going to happen after I went to make a football act.”
He was requested if as an alternative of turning his physique on Brayshaw he might have stretched his arms out like he was smothering or whether or not he might have wrapped his arms round Brayshaw.
Maynard mentioned “no” to each solutions.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson questioned Maynard, saying that Woods argued that he ought to have proven extra care in the way in which he jumped and the way in which he braced himself.
Asked if he knew what occurred if he did get a smother and Maynard mentioned he didn’t know.
Asked if he modified his strategy whereas within the air, Maynard mentioned that the pace of the motion meant there was nothing he might do to keep away from the collision.
“With all due respect, the same outcome would’ve happened,” Maynard mentioned. “When I went to smother the ball, it was a flinch reaction. Like I said, he was in my way and a collision occurred.
And if he left his arms out? “I feel the same outcomes would have happened because it was a collision, it happened very quickly,” Maynard mentioned.
Maynard mentioned he didn’t consider that there could be a collision as a result of “I didn’t see him coming down the same line as me, he was to the right of me.
“I just sort of flinched and tensed up. I thought, ‘Aww s**t’.”
3pm – Tribunal prepares for landmark case
Maynard’s bump on Brayshaw has been graded as careless conduct, extreme affect and excessive contact – if confirmed, it should usually lead to a minimal three match ban, which is able to rule him out of the preliminary remaining, and a possible Grand Final.
He will both have to plead not responsible and show that the offence was not made out, or efficiently downgrade the offence to at the very least medium severity (or low affect if he argues that the conduct was intentional) to play once more this season.
The Tribunal does, in “exceptional and compelling circumstances” retain the facility to impose or withold sanctions at its path, and given the distinctive nature of the case, may very well be an avenue for Collingwood’s authorized workforce to pursue.
Given the overall legality of makes an attempt to smother, the case serves as a landmark check case for the boundaries of acts which might be usually thought of authorized, however which have penalties particularly regarding concussion and head trauma that the AFL needs to crack down on.
While there have been plenty of instances in 2023 beneath a contemporary crackdown on excessive contact that handled bumps, that is the primary that has handled an incident the place the goal of the defender was to not dispossess the ball, or was bumping in lieu of a sort out.
Maynard’s matter will probably be heard by Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson KC, Stewart Loewe and Jason Johnson.
Gleeson has been a barrister in Victoria since 1992, and took silk in 2007, whereas Loewe was a two-time All-Australian centre half-forward who shaped a deadly partnership with Tony Lockett at St Kilda within the Nineteen Nineties, kicking 594 targets.
Johnson was a premiership participant with Essendon in 2000 and an All-Australian in 2001, in addition to the 1998 Rising Star.
In the occasion that Collingwood and Maynard are sad with the result, they’ve the choice of interesting the choice to the AFL Appeals Board, chaired by former decide Murray Kellam KC.
Fox Sports’ David Zita reported that the AFL will argue Maynard turning his physique mid-air to brace was “in the bumping of an opponent”, and that he subsequently, having “elected to bump” (a doctrine the AFL has developed since 2011), he had an obligation of care to Brayshaw that he did not uphold.
Zita mentioned that Collingwood had two arguments that may very well be put to the Tribunal – both that Maynard was contesting the ball and that it was affordable to contest the ball in that means, or that Brayshaw’s failure to guard himself is one thing Maynard couldn’t management and couldn’t fairly foresee.
12pm – Brayshaw again at coaching
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin mentioned on Tuesday his star midfielder had improved in current days.
Brayshaw was embraced by his teammates on the coaching observe at Casey Fields and ran some laps in a optimistic signal.
But whether or not Brayshaw might return for a preliminary remaining or face an extended absence from the sport stays to be determined, with Goodwin telling reporters the Demons could be extraordinarily cautious as a consequence of his historical past of head knocks.
“(Brayshaw) is progressing well, clearly he’s in the protocols and there’s more checks that need to be done,” Goodwin mentioned.
“We certainly won’t take a risk with him as a player … there’s a big picture to think of here with Angus, and we’ve just got to make sure that everything is done properly. His health is paramount in this situation.”
10am – Minister weighs in
The furore has even taken in NDIS Minister and Member for Maribrynong, Bill Shorten.
Shorten, whose citizens borders Collingwood heartland in Wills and who’s a diehard Magpies fan, appeared on Sky News to debate the problem forward of the listening to.
Shorten expressed his sympathies with the concussed Brayshaw however mentioned Maynard had a status for equity.
“I feel for Angus Brayshaw, that’s obviously very bad to have that injury, but the fellow in question seems to have a pretty good reputation around the place of being a fair player,” Shorten mentioned.
“You got me commenting on the issue … politicians should stay out of it, we will leave it for the Tribunal, but go Pies.”
8am – Hamish Brayshaw hits out
Former West Coast Eagles participant and Brayshaw’s brother Hamish mentioned he anticipated Maynard to get off scot-free, owing to a want from AFL House for Collingwood to win their third premiership since 1958.
“It will set a precedent for what is going to happen for a long time in football I think, whether he gets off or whether he doesn’t,” Brayshaw mentioned on the Shelter FootyCast alongside former West Coast star Will Schofield and commentator Mark Readings.
“I think if this happened in Round 3, sweet no worries mate you’ve got weeks. The scrutiny comes under the fact that I think the AFL are desperate for Collingwood to win a premiership.
“They want the supporters to go nuts, they’ve got 106,000 members, they want to do everything they can, in my opinion, for that to happen.
“The world wants to see that happen, or the Collingwood fans do anyway and they have a very loud voice so a lot of that is driven by the Collingwood fans and I think a few people at the AFL who want to see Collingwood win.
“But duty of care for a player, whether that comes into account, I don’t know.”
Source: www.news.com.au
