Carlton ahead Matthew Owies will miss his aspect’s elimination closing towards Brisbane after the AFL tribunal upheld a one-match ban for a harmful sort out on St Kilda’s Jack Higgins.
The 27-year-old’s failure to overturn his suspension is a significant blow to the Blues, who will miss Owies’s skills in entrance of aim.
His 33 objectives this season had been essential in serving to his aspect sneaking into the finals in eighth place.
Owies had been charged with careless conduct, medium impression and excessive contact for the driving sort out, despite the fact that an analogous sort out from Western Bulldogs defender Liam Jones on Aaron Cadman on Sunday had been met with solely a nice.
Higgins returned to the sector quickly after the sort out, having been cleared of concussion signs.
Owies additionally received a free kick for the sort out, with Higgins disposing of the ball incorrectly.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson stated Owies’s sort out was unreasonable and had the potential to trigger harm, despite the fact that Higgins was unhurt.
“We discover that this was tough conduct and that the grading is careless, excessive contact and medium impression,” he stated.
Owies instructed the tribunal he loosened his grip on Higgins’s arms as they had been going to floor however was unable to instantly launch his maintain as they had been transferring too quick.
His membership’s lawyer, Peter O’Farrell, stated his problem was no extra impactful than Jones’s sort out on Cadman.
“The extent of power was minimal from Owies, we might submit,” he stated.
Nick Pane, representing the AFL, stated Owies may have launched Higgins’s arms after he had launched the ball, permitting the tackled participant to brace his fall.
“This was an inherently harmful sort out, and the power with which participant Higgins’s head hit the bottom meant that there was potential to trigger a extra severe harm,” he stated.
After the tribunal returned its responsible verdict within the early hours of Wednesday morning, O’Farrell argued Owies’s penalty must be diminished due to distinctive and compelling circumstances.
Particularly, he had an exemplary document and will entice gamers to AFL from basketball on account of his background enjoying the sport.
The tribunal retired to deliberate, once more, earlier than saying they weren’t happy that the circumstances had been distinctive or compelling sufficient to overturn the ban.
Owies’s listening to, which was initially scheduled to kick off at 8pm Melbourne time, was delayed till 10pm after the night’s earlier listening to for Demons ahead Kysaiah Pickett lasted a mammoth three hours.
Pickett will miss the primary three video games of the 2025 AFL season after failing to overturn a three-match suspension for a bump on Collingwood’s Darcy Moore.
The problem throughout the Demons’ 46-point defeat on Friday night time, which pressured the Magpies captain from the sector with concussion, was judged as careless conduct, extreme impression and excessive contact.
“We’re required to contemplate whether or not there was unreasonable conduct that was prone to trigger harm,” Mr Gleeson stated.
“We discover that there was.”
Melbourne missed out on finals following their 14th-placed end, so the ban carries over into subsequent yr.
Pickett apologised to Moore for the harm and stated he didn’t count on him to go to floor so rapidly.
“My intention was to guard house by taking Darcy off the road and win the ball in entrance of me,” he stated.
“That is the traditional method I’ve contested the ball and made a play on the ball in different video games.”
It isn’t the primary time Pickett’s bumping has received him into hassle.
Pickett missed Melbourne’s first recreation of this season after being banned for a excessive bump on Patrick Cripps in final yr’s semi-final loss to Carlton.
He additionally acquired a one-match ban for a bump on Adelaide’s Jake Soligo in Collect Spherical.
AAP
