AFL admits Brown doubly-lucky
Posted April 13, 2011 05:40:00
Campbell Brown (left) copped four matches for two separate incidents. (AAP: Joe Castro)
The AFL has admitted Gold Coast’s Campbell Brown was doubly-lucky to only receive a two-game suspension for striking Western Bulldogs opponent Callan Ward.
League operations manager Adrian Anderson stated the Bulldogs’ medical report on Ward, plus the match review panel’s decision to grade the contact as reckless rather than intentional, saved the Suns hard man a longer ban.
Brown took the early plea for his two controversial incidents during Saturday’s game.
He also accepted a two-game suspension for high contact with key forward Barry Hall, meaning he will miss the next four matches.
There has been a strong reaction to the two Brown penalties, with several AFL commentators arguing the Ward punishment should have been harsher.
But neither Ward or Hall were injured in the incidents.
Brown threw his elbow back and caught Ward in the face, briefly stunning him.
“I’ve heard a lot of comparisons with elbows and king hits and whatever, in all of those cases you have got a bloke with either a broken jaw or concussed or out for several weeks,” Anderson stated on radio station 3AW about the Ward incident.
Had the panel ruled the Ward strike was intentional rather than reckless, Brown would have faced a three-game ban with an early plea.
“It is on the lighter side,” Anderson admitted.
“The reason why the match review panel did that is because he was not looking at Ward when he threw his arm back.
“They were not satisfied he intended to hit him the way he did, that could have gone either way … I can see their argument.
“It’s not clearly wrong, I do not think.”
Losing their vice-captain for a month is another blow for the fledgling Suns after they started their debut season with huge losses to Carlton and the Bulldogs.
Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna admitted on Tuesday that Brown must earn back his team-mates’ trust.
McKenna stated a “remorseful” Brown addressed the young Suns playing group as they prepared for this weekend’s clash with Melbourne.
“I spoke to him over the course of the weekend (and) he addressed the playing group today,” he said.
“Obviously he was remorseful to the playing group.
“He comprehends that he has let them down.
“He has to earn back their trust – which I am sure he will do.”
Also on Tuesday, Adelaide ruckman Ivan Maric became the first player this year to challenge his charge at the tribunal.
But his plea against a rough conduct charge was unsuccessful.
Maric still remains eligible to play in Saturday’s Showdown against Port Adelaide because his penalty was a reprimand and carry over points.
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Submited at Tuesday, April 12th, 2011 at 8:00 pm on Sports by jessica
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