From the HS...
Hawthorn has appealed James Sicily’s three-match suspension on the grounds the ban tears at the fabric of the game.
The Hawks confirmed on Wednesday they would fight the three-match ban at the AFL appeals tribunal on Monday night in a bid to clear the superstar captain for clashes against Gold Coast, Carlton and GWS Giants.
Hawthorn will challenge Sicily’s tribunal verdict on the basis the tackle which concussed Lion Hugh McCluggage on the wing at the MCG on Saturday did not constitute a rough conduct charge as per the AFL guidelines, and that the classification was inadequate.
It will be alleged Sicily, 28, did not intend to roll McCluggage’s head into the MCG turf in a tackle as teammate Tyler Brockman flew over the top and made contact with the pair.
Interesting.
Here's the rough conduct, dangerous tackle, section from the tribunal guidelines:
» The tackle consists of more than one action, regardless of whether
the Player being tackled is in possession of the ball;
» The tackle is of an inherently dangerous kind, such as a spear tackle
or a tackle where a Player is lifted off the ground;
» The Player being tackled is in a vulnerable position (e.g. arm(s) pinned)
with little opportunity to protect himself;
» An opponent is slung, driven or rotated into the ground with excessive force.
It's not 1, as there's just one action by the tackler (rotation). It's not 2, as grabbing someone just below the waist and spinning them is not inherently dangerous (unless someone else crashes into you). It's not 3, as the arms were not pinned by the tackler.
It might be 4: the opponent is spun around and hits the ground, which fits the last category of being rotated into the ground with excessive force. I guess the argument will be that this wasn't solely caused by the tackler, so you can't suspend him for someone else's actions (Brockman).