Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says the AFL has become “significantly paranoid and overly protective of the head” in its crackdown against tackles causing concussion as the league confirmed a review to address “deficiency” that allowed controversial suspensions to be overturned was coming.
The AFL says it will act to avoid the reuse of the “legal technicality” that helped Toby Bedford and Charlie Cameron successfully appeal their three-week bans at the appeals board on Thursday night.
The GWS and Brisbane forwards were both able to argue the tribunal’s process to come to its decisions was incorrect due to its disregard for the laws of the game, but the league said it would remove this path to overturning a suspension.
All 18 clubs received examples of footage of “dangerous tackles” and “safe tackles” on Friday as the AFL said it was committed to addressing any “perceived uncertainty”.
“In the AFL’s view, the tackles by Cameron and Bedford were dangerous tackles, principally because both of the tackled players had their arms pinned (resulting in vulnerability) and were additionally brought to the ground with excessive force,” the statement read.
“But we accept the Appeal Board’s decisions, albeit that they were made on a legal technicality involving a perceived technical deficiency in the Tribunal’s reasons.
“The AFL will reflect on those reasons and will address the deficiency in the conduct of further Tribunal hearings this season. The AFL will also review the system at the end of the season, as we do every year.”
Speaking earlier on Friday, Beveridge said the turbulent week had left the game in a “spiral” of confusion over what was expected of players.
“We’ve all become significantly paranoid and overprotective of the head. It’s forced people into coaching the umpires a certain way, interpreting different situations in different ways because we’re concerned that there might be some fallout,” Beveridge said.
“We’re in a spiral now where everyone’s confused. Whether or not we just have to accept that our game carries risk, we’re going to be in this constant confusion.
“I don’t think anyone’s any clearer – we’ve got to wade through the marsh … it’s a little bit murky. We’ll find our way through it together, but at the moment it’s pretty grey.”
The AFL said it accepted there were concussions that were completely accidental and did not warrant a sanction, but its hardened approach on tackling was already having a noticeable effect on player safety.
“The AFL will continue to prioritise the health and safety of players in all aspects of the sport which includes the sanctioning of conduct that is considered to be dangerous when appropriate to do so,” the statement read.
“The AFL readily accepts that in our 360-degree, full contact sport there are injuries, including concussive injuries, that are accidental (i.e. not careless or intentional) and do not attract a sanction, however consistent and proportionate sanctions when appropriate are an effective deterrence as has been starkly evident in the reduction of suspensions for dangerous tackles in 2024 as compared to 2023.”
Source Agencies
