Star Melbourne midfielder Christian Petracca says the Demons are confused with the ban hanging over young forward Jacob van Rooyen’s head for a spoiling attempt they feel was a football incident.
Melbourne failed to overturn van Rooyen’s two-match suspension at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night but have appealed and will find out on Thursday night if he will be available to face Hawthorn on Saturday.
Jacob van Rooyen was suspended for two matches.Credit: Fairfax
Van Rooyen’s right arm made contact to Gold Coast defender Charlie Ballard’s head as the Demon ran back to spoil, with the Sun going to ground feeling his neck, before being taken off on a stretcher. But Gold Coast have cleared Ballard of injury, and he is expected to play this weekend.
“We’re appealing it … I don’t want to say something I regret, but it is frustrating,” Petracca told KISS 101.1 FM on Thursday.
“We’re a bit disappointed at the footy club because it’s more just the grey area because I thought it was a football incident, as probably did you and a lot of people.
“As Jacob hit the ball, he’s kind of brushed [Ballard’s] head and fell on it, and [Ballard] said to the doctor, ‘I’ve heard a click in my neck’ … anything to do with neck; they get the stretcher out straight away, and they tell you to not move.
“It was tough because when you see the stretcher out, you think, ‘Oh, God, this is really serious’, so for him to be playing this week, thank God. I wish Charlie all the best this week.”
Petracca said part of Melbourne’s frustration was that van Rooyen’s right fist made contact with the Sherrin first.
“We’re all a bit confused … we don’t think there’s any malice to it, or he’s gone to, on purpose, hit Charlie in the head. I don’t think it’s like that at all,” he said.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has publicly supported Jacob van Rooyen.Credit: AFL Photos
“He’s gone for the ball straight away. He’s [also] messaged him after the game; apologising for what he’s done.
“I think with the MRO [match review officer Michael Christian] at the moment, with the sling tackling and that, I think they’ve got a lot of consistency in that. There’s a fair bit of evidence with, ‘This is what you should do when you tackle; this is what you shouldn’t do’. I think with this incident; it’s a football incident, so that’s what we’re a bit frustrated with.”
Demons coach Simon Goodwin has already strongly defended van Rooyen this week, while defender Jake Lever said the result of Thursday night’s appeals board hearing could change the way he and others played.
“If he does get off, the game continues, but if he doesn’t, I think then it’s going to be a bit confusing and the game might change a bit,” Lever said.
“Any rule change does [change the fabric of the game], or anything that happens in the tribunal that’s always a conversation, but for us, we’ll just see what happens tonight, and we hope Jacob gets off, and he’s playing on the weekend.
“He’s a 19-year-old kid getting a lot of media coverage, and you can see he’s a bit flat, but to his credit, he absolutely trained the house down yesterday. I walked off the field and thought we had Wayne Carey out there at one stage – he was phenomenal.”
AFL chief executive elect Andrew Dillon said the tribunal’s top priority was “the health and safety of the players”, but admitted van Rooyen’s hearing would offer more clarity on what was acceptable when spoiling.
“I think what is helpful, if we run the process through, tonight will give us more clarity on that going forward,” Dillon said.
