AFLW players have been reminded to show a “greater duty of care” towards opponents as the AFL’s umpiring department warned about an increase in dangerous tackles and head high contact after five rounds of the new season.
Umpiring boss Dan Richardson, in a memo sent to all clubs, cited the growing cases of rough conduct.
“We are still seeing numerous examples of excessive force or rotation in the tackle,” said the memo, seen by The Age.
The warning came less than 24 hours after finals aspirants Geelong lost Georgie Prespakis for crucial games against the Western Bulldogs and Essendon after the young gun received a two-match ban for a dump tackle.
Separately, Collingwood captain Steph Chiocci (striking) and Essendon’s Daria Bannister (dangerous tackle) have also been dealt bans.
Prespakis’ heavy tackle that concussed St Kilda ruck Erin McKinnon soured Geelong’s thumping 50-point victory on Thursday night.
Cat Prespakis banned for two matches for dump tackle.Credit:Seven
The 19-year-old pinned McKinnon’s arms before bringing the Saints ruck to the ground in the third quarter.
McKinnon’s head slammed into the turf and she was motionless for around a minute before being helped up and taken off the ground.
The memo reiterated the rules around dangerous tackles and head high contact, saying umpires have been coached to consider whether the player is in the process of winning the ball, or has gained possession and is carrying the ball.
Erin McKinnon is helped from the field.Credit:Getty Images
“Regarding dangerous tackles, we are still seeing numerous examples of excessive force or rotation in the tackle,” said Richardson.
“We encourage players to show greater duty of care towards their opponents in these instances.”
The two-match ban deal to Geelong midfield star Georgie Prespakis happened along with Essendon forward Bannister’s one-match suspension for a dangerous tackle on Collingwood co-captain Steph Chiocci.
The Prespakis suspension means the Cats player will miss a fifth of the season – the equivalent of five weeks in the men’s competition.
“Two games is 20 per cent of the home and away season. So yeah, I guess with the women’s season there’s a lot of urgency, you know, to perform and play given there’s only 10 games,” Brett Johnson Geelong’s head of AFLW, football pathways and player development told The Age.
Georgie Prespakis will miss two games due two a ban for a dangerous tackle.Credit:Michael Wilson via Getty Images
“So, I think that’s where Georgie’s a little disappointed. It is a fair chunk of the season.”
Prespakis’ heavy tackle left McKinnon concussed as her head was slammed into the turf and she was motionless for around a minute before being helped up and taken off the ground.
The action was initially classed by the match review officer as careless conduct, high contact, and high impact.
Geelong counsel Gayann Walker pleaded not guilty on Prespakis’ behalf at the tribunal and argued the impact should be downgraded to low impact. Prespakis defended her actions in the tackle, saying she brought McKinnon the ground in the safest way possible.
“Not at all am I trying to sling her. I’m just riding it down with her,” Prespakis said during her evidence.
“It’s difficult for a person of my size to fully control a person of her size … I believe my right arm has an intent to be grabbing at the football, not the player. If I had (my arm) any higher, it would affect her head or get her high around the neck.”
Geelong’s case was unsuccessful, with AFL counsel Nick Pane KC saying McKinnon had developed severe concussive symptoms and will miss two to three games.
Johnson said the club and Prespakis respected the decision of the tribunal and understood the reasoning for it.
“[We] feel for the player [Erin] McKinnon as well. Hopefully she makes a full recovery because obviously protecting the head is really important,” said Johnson.
“We felt, I guess, challenging it to, you know, hopefully get it downgraded and sometimes in football it can just be a bizarre outcome from you know, a tackle or collision and, unfortunately, sometimes, players get hurt.
“We didn’t feel like Georgie was intentionally trying to hurt McKinnon or her tackle was unreasonable in the circumstances, but obviously the tribunal felt different and we respect their decision.”
A sticking point of the case was the suggestion by Pane that Prespakis applied excessive force at the end of the tackle, which was unreasonable.
The ban means that Prespakis will miss matches against the Western Bulldogs next week, who sit fifth on the ladder, and Essendon, denying fans of another ‘Prespakis Cup’ as she’ll miss another match-up with sister Maddy.
After round five, Prespakis leads the coaches’ association votes on 41, one vote ahead of North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner and five more than sister Maddy, who sits in third place. The suspension means she’ll be ineligible for the best and fairest this year.
“At the half-way mark of the season player safety and duty of care is of paramount importance to both the AFL and AFLW competitions and is a shared responsibility across clubs, players, umpiring and the AFL,” the memo from Richardson read.
