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Tribunal explanations

The following is the explanations for the verdicts of last night's tribunal hearings:

Lenny Hayes, St Kilda -- Suspended for Two Matches.We have carefully considered the video footage, the evidence of the two players and the submissions. Player Hayes has given evidence that he was aware of player Notting. He says that contact was going to be inevitable, but this is often the case when the game of Australian football is played. He says that his act of raising his arm was an act of self-protection, a reflex action. Given the nature and extent of the arm movement of player Hayes, the fact that it made forceful contact to the head of player Notting after he had knocked the ball and as he was in the act of regaining the ground from jumping, we find that that contact was reckless in the circumstances and the charge is sustained.



On the question of penalty ... As to the seriousness of this offence, we say it was a reckless act which resulted in forceful contact to the head. The effect on the other player, Notting, clearly he was stunned and fortunately there was no other injury. But, as we often say in these cases, this sort of action has the potential for significant injury. The player has an unblemished record. The decision of the tribunal is that the player will be suspended for the next two matches in which his club participates, and I might add that we regard that as a minimal penalty.



Justin Koschitzke, St Kilda -- Suspended for One Match. -- Player Michael gains possession of the football and then he tries to avoid player Koschitzke by wrong-footing him as player Koschitzke is coming to tackle him head-on. It is clear that there is contact made by Koschitzke's right foot, and he conceded that himself, to the lower leg of player Michael. The field umpire has given evidence that he viewed this from the position he has shown us from a distance of 15 to 20 metres. He said that he didn't think that the player's action was a sweeping motion and didn't judge the contact from the angle he had to be foul contact, as I understood him. The nature and extent of movement of player Koschitzke's right leg depicted on the video is such that we don't accept the explanation of player Koschitzke. We feel that the video clearly depicts movement which could only be described as reckless and it is not accidental and that therefore the charge of tripping is sustained.



On Penalty ... We say this was a reckless act on the part of the player which tripped player Michael and caused him to go to ground. The effect on player Michael was such that there was no injury sustained whatsoever by him and had little effect, but we do note that these sorts of actions have the potential for injury. Balancing all those matters, the player will be suspended for the next match in which his club participates.



Brad Johnson, Western Bulldogs -- Cleared. In this instance we can see no reason from what we have observed of the video footage not to accept what umpire Stevic has told us, namely that player Johnson was in the course of running down player Rawlings and the umpire has said that what he did was he jumped into the air when he went to handball over his head, jumped in the air as if to intercept the football. We say that is consistent not only with what the umpire said but what we have seen on the video footage. The umpire said the contact was not unduly late. He didn't regard it as a strike and neither do we. Therefore the charge is not sustained.