Hawthorn have decided to appeal the two-match ban handed down to Will Day for a dangerous tackle, while Geelong will also challenge the one-game ban to Gary Rohan, testing the AFL’s policy on sling tackles.
Day’s dump tackle on Brad Close was rated high impact, in comparison to Rohan’s sling tackle on Changkuoth Jiath, which returned a medium impact grading from the AFL’s match review officer Michael Christian.
Hawthorn is appealing a two-game ban on Will Day for a dangerous tackle.Credit: Getty Images
Both were also graded careless and high contact, as the heads of both Close and Jiath hit the ground in their respective tackles. Neither player was concussed in their respective incidents.
Day was handed two matches while Rohan copped a one-match ban, but the tribunal will be asked to consider whether the tackles were reasonable football acts or avoidable.
Nathan Broad copped a four-match ban in round two when he slung Adelaide’s Patrick Parnell into the turf, leaving him concussed. That incident was graded as severe impact and sent directly to the tribunal.
Port Adelaide’s Ryan Burton wore a two-match ban for a dump tackle on Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott, also in round two, which was graded the same as Day’s tackle on Close.
After accepting his suspension, Burton said he was clearer about the AFL’s policy on dangerous tackles.
“We’ve been told that if you tackle like I did, and it looks like they could have been hurt if it was a little bit worse, then they’re going to punish you,” Burton told SEN SA.
“They said mine could have been really bad if it was a harder tackle or if he hit his head or something like that.
“That’s what they’re going to punish you on now, they really want to stamp that stuff out.”
Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton said he was confused that Day’s tackle was judged a two-match ban while Rohan’s sling tackle was graded lower. Brereton thought Rohan’s tackle was more dangerous.
“[Day] takes him down, there’s no sling there. It does look violent, the end bit of it, but he just takes him straight to ground,” Brereton said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“I just thought with the Rohan one, he [Jiath] got slung 270 degrees. The other one, he [Close] just went face-first. Pulled down hard. There was no sling in it.
“Is it dangerous? Probably is, so it’s a hard determination, but I can’t understand how one’s worth two [weeks] – which I thought was the lesser.”
Both tribunal hearings are expected to take place on Wednesday night.
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