Buddy cleared of sling tackle charge

Updated June 12, 2012 14:22:26

Hawthorn can breathe a sigh of relief after star forward Lance Franklin was cleared by the AFL's match review panel of a sling tackle.

Franklin, who leads the Coleman Medal goalkicking list from Richmond's Jack Riewoldt, was put on report for his tackle on Port Adelaide's Paul Stewart in the final quarter of the Hawks' win on Sunday.

The Hawthorn spearhead threw Stewart to the ground after the Port player lost possession of the ball in a similar incident to that involving Adelaide's Taylor Walker three weeks ago which cost the Crow a two-match ban.

The panel found that Franklin did not have both of Stewart's arms pinned in his tackle and took his opponent to the ground in one continuous motion.

It also found the tackle was not unreasonable and Franklin did not use excessive force.

He will now be eligible to play in the Hawks' next match against Brisbane at the MCG on Sunday.

Essendon's Aaron Davey has been given a three-match ban by the panel for his bump on Sydney's Daniel Hannebery in the third quarter of the Bomber's loss to the Swans.

Davey can accept a two-match ban with an early plea.

The Fremantle Docker's Hayden Ballantyne has been rubbed out for the second time this season, receiving a one-match ban for striking Richmond's Chris Newman.

His Dockers' team-mate Ryan Crowley, who last week was reprimanded for staging, can accept a $900 fine with an early plea for making an obscene gesture during Fremantle's win over Richmond.

Geelong's Josh Hunt can accept a $1350 fine for standing on Carlton's Eddie Betts in the Cats' Friday night win over the Blues at Docklands.

Hawthorn's Liam Shiels and Port Adelaide's Danyle Pearce have been charged with wrestling in Sunday's match at Football Park. Both players can accept a $900 fine with an early plea.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted June 11, 2012 15:00:15

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Walker cited for Taylor tackle

Updated May 14, 2012 18:06:26

Adelaide's Taylor Walker has been offered a two-match suspension by the match review panel for his heavy tackle on Geelong's Harry Taylor.

Walker was handed a level two engaging in rough conduct charge as a result of the incident that occurred during the opening quarter of the Crows' 50-point defeat of the Cats at Football Park on Saturday.

His previous record means the two-match cannot be reduced with an early guilty plea, but he has the option of contesting the charge at the tribunal.

Meanwhile, the Cats' Joel Corey can accept a $900 fine with an early guilty plea after being charged for making an obscene finger gesture during the clash with the Crows.

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, adelaide-5000

First posted May 14, 2012 18:06:26

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Dempster rides the Bate tackle

Published:Saturday, May 21, 2011 5:08 AEST

Sean Dempster of the Saints is tackled by Matthew Bate of the Demons during the round nine AFL match between the St Kilda Saints and the Melbourne Demons at Etihad Stadium on May 21, 2011 in Melbourne.

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, melbourne-3000, st-kilda-3182

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Simpson backs Blues to tackle Cats

Posted May 19, 2011 12:24:00

Carlton midfielder Kade Simpson believes the Blues' pace and tackling can cause Geelong problems in Friday night's bumper AFL clash.

The Cats are unbeaten this season, but the fourth-placed Blues have won two of their past three meetings.

Simpson said tackling intensity was a key to those wins and it was an area Carlton had further improved on this season.

"Obviously tackling and pressure usually goes all right against them," he said.

"When they have a lot of possessions, as they do, if you can put a bit of pressure on them when they're trying to go forward, it helps and it helps our defenders out."

Carlton's only loss so far this year was by 28 points to Collingwood in round two and Simpson said the side had made progress since then.

"We feel we've improved in all those areas that matter - tackling, contested ball, clearances, we're going pretty well," he said.

"Obviously Geelong are a good clearance team so we're going to have to really step up again this week."

The midfielder said the clash would be a gauge of whether Carlton had improved as much as they hoped.

"We see (Geelong) and Collingwood as the benchmark teams, so it's going to be a chance to really test ourselves."

Former Melbourne midfielder Brock McLean is expected to be named on Thursday night for his first match since round 10 last season.

Friday night's match will also feature a pre-game tribute to Cats' great Bob Davis, who died on Monday night.

- AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, vic, carlton-3053, geelong-3220

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Demons tackle within rules: Bailey

Posted May 13, 2011 11:49:00

Defiant Melbourne AFL coach Dean Bailey insists his players will not be changing their tackling styles, despite failing to have midfielder Jack Trengove's three-game ban overturned.

The Demons lucked out in their bid to have the hefty suspension for a dangerous tackle on Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield quashed by the AFL appeals board.

Ahead of Saturday's clash with North Melbourne at Docklands Stadium, Bailey believed his players' tackling style was within the rules.

"Our tackling technique is what it is and we believe it's in accordance with what's expected," Bailey said.

"We've been tackling like that for three years ... our technique won't change.

"We'll go about our business on Saturday and continue to tackle with the intent of winning the ball back and preventing the opposition from disposing of the footy."

Trengove could have accepted a two-match ban for an early guilty plea but Bailey said the club was right to challenge the charge - and would do it again.

"The club swung everything they possibly could behind Jack to make the point that we felt that what he did was fair and reasonable," he said.

"Would I do it again tomorrow? Absolutely I would.

"We've got a young man who we think has tackled effectively and we've defended him strongly and threw every resource at it and we'll do it again tomorrow with another Melbourne player."

The Demons must respond by midday Friday to a please explain letter sent by the AFL after several of Trengove's team-mates used Twitter to slam the original tribunal verdict on Tuesday night.

Bailey said his frustrated players were being "open and honest".

He did however, instruct his players not to tweet about the appeal outcome.

"I said to them yesterday in regards to Twitter, hold your Twitters, no point in going on again," he said.

"It was frustration first time, be smarter the second time and I don't think too many did it - so they adhered to my advice which was a smart thing to do."

-AAP

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Trengove's tackle the target: Scott

Updated May 11, 2011 19:13:00

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott believes the Jack Trengove suspension Melbourne is appealing is for exactly the type of tackle the AFL wants to wipe out.

Melbourne will front the appeals board on Thursday in an attempt to have the 19-year-old's three-game ban overturned.

The Demons are arguing that Trengove laid a textbook tackle on Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield.

Dangerfield had to be subbed off with concussion after Trengove pinned his arm and threw him down, causing his head to hit the ground.

Trengove's team-mates have used Twitter to publicly lambaste the Tribunal's decision and Demons football manager Craig Notman labelled the tackle "as close to perfect as we could want".

The Demons have been contacted by the AFL, asking them to explain why their players breached rules banning excessive criticism of tribunal decisions.

But Scott, whose Kangaroos face Melbourne at Docklands on Saturday, said it was the type of incident the AFL had targeted when it tightened its rules governing dangerous tackles.

The league updated tribunal guidelines for rough conduct before the 2007 season and again before the 2010 season, to detail the kinds of tackles it wanted outlawed.

"I don't think there's confusion at all, I think the AFL made their stance," Scott said on Wednesday.

"They made a rule change for this particular incident and they made their stance very clear.

"So our players are absolutely clear as to what the rule is."

Scott added that any frustration should be reserved for the rule, not the Trengove verdict.

"The AFL made things really clear as to how they would deal with those particular incidents," he said.

"You can agree with the rule or not, but they've adjudicated the rule as they said they would."

Scott said he did not want to see aggression driven out of the game, but did not want to see players concussed either.

His view is completely at odds with the Demons' thinking.

Melbourne is fighting the charge on the grounds the decision was so unreasonable that no tribunal could have made it with regard to the evidence.

The club also says both the classification of the level of offence and the sanction imposed were manifestly excessive.

"We deem it as a tackle that, from what we teach our players, was completed to a tee," Notman told Melbourne's SEN radio.

"It's unfortunate that Patty Dangerfield was hurt, but part of his actions actually contributed to the force he hit the ground."

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson defended the tribunal's decision.

"It's one of those ones that's very much debatable over where the line should be drawn, but where we do, we make no apologies for reducing neck and head injuries in the game," Anderson told Triple M radio.

"We don't want to see players concussed and we ask that you show some care towards your opponent when the arm is pinned."

Thursday night's appeals board hearing will be the first since Carlton skipper Chris Judd unsuccessfully fought a misconduct charge at the end of the 2009 season.

The incident was memorable for Judd, who was charged for placing his hand near the eye of then-Brisbane midfielder Michael Rischitelli, claiming he had been searching for a "pressure point", which he later said was a joke.

- AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, vic, melbourne-3000

First posted May 11, 2011 19:02:00

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