Latest news with #roughconduct
ABC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Melbourne's Steven May fails at appeal to get rough conduct suspension for clash with Francis Evans overturned
Star defender Steven May will still miss Melbourne's next two games after the club's bid to overturn his rough conduct suspension was rejected by the AFL appeals board. May was initially handed a three-match ban by the tribunal for rough conduct over the high-speed collision in the Demons' July 19 loss to Carlton that left Blues forward Francis Evans with concussion, a broken nose and a missing tooth. The All Australian defender maintained the ball was always his focus. May, who missed the Demons' demoralising loss to St Kilda on Sunday with his own concussion, will be suspended for games against West Coast and the Western Bulldogs. He was not involved in Monday night's appeal hearing. The Demons appealed on the basis the tribunal made an error of law and that no tribunal acting reasonably could have come to the decision it did. Melbourne's case, which was presented over more than an hour, hinged on the contention that no reasonable tribunal would expect a player to anticipate the trajectory of the ball's bounce. Melbourne noted after a handball went over Evans' head, the ball bounced four times. The first three bounces went away from the Carlton player, before the fourth took the ball into his hands, when May made contact. Jack Rush, acting for the Demons, contended the tribunal had put a "sense of perfection on the reasonable player" in expecting May to anticipate the ball's trajectory. Melbourne also contended that the tribunal noting Evans had made a movement to avoid contact, while not taking into account May had extended his left leg in an attempt to also slow down, was "the height of procedural unfairness" and demonstrated "unreasonableness". AFL representative Nick Pane quickly contended the tribunal's finding was not unreasonable before the appeals board of Stephen Jurica, Wayne Henwood and chair Will Houghton deliberated for 14 minutes. In rejecting Melbourne's appeal, Houghton said the board was satisfied May understood the case being put forward against him and he had every opportunity to put forward his own case. He concluded there was no lack of procedural fairness and no unreasonableness in the tribunal's decision. Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin had said on Sunday that May was "devastated and shattered" by the tribunal's decision, having believed he had done the right thing in attacking the ball. Goodwin also predicted the case would shape the way players approach contests in future. He believed players would adapt with the more information they get from the AFL about how they are required to act in certain scenarios. AAP
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Steven May's three-game ban for brutal collision set to divide the AFL world
Debate is set to rage after Melbourne defender Steven May was handed a three-match ban for his devastating collision with an opponent that has divided the football world. May was found guilty of rough conduct at the AFL tribunal on Wednesday night for the collision that concussed Francis Evans and left the Carlton forward with a broken nose and a chipped tooth. A biomechanics expert calculated May had only 0.56 seconds from the ball's final bounce until the moment of the collision, and that the premiership defender would have needed at least 0.2 to 0.25 seconds to react. 'The time available to him to perceive and react to a complex scenario is not sufficient for him to adapt and avoid contact,' AIS biomechanist Daniel Cottam said in his findings, not all of which could be submitted as evidence for the tribunal hearing. May argued he had little time to react, saying he was so sure he was going to get to the ball first that he was left shocked when Evans beat him to it during Saturday's game at the MCG. But AFL Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson said May had ample time while running towards the ball to realise there was a big chance he wouldn't arrive there first and to come up with a contingency plan. 'The most he could have hoped was that he would arrive at about the same time as Evans,' Gleeson said. 'It was far more likely that he would reach the ball after Evans. 'As he gathered the ball, Evans had time to position his body just slightly so as to turn slightly away from May. This gives some indication that May had sufficient time to make some attempt to move his body in a way that minimised or avoided the impact limits. 'May made no attempt to change his path, his body position or his velocity at any time leading up to or in the contest.' Before the hearing, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps questioned how May could have approached things differently. 'I felt like both of them were trying to contest the ball,' Cripps told the On the Inside podcast. 'You never want to see a player get injured but I don't understand what we want players to do. 'If that's a grand final and [May] hesitates and Franky gets the ball, what do you do?' Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion The decision to suspend May has set a strong precedent when it comes to players arriving at a loose ball within a split second of each other. He will miss games against St Kilda, West Coast and the Western Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Sydney defender Riak Andrew was handed a five-match suspension after being found guilty of using a homophobic slur while representing the Swans' reserves team. First-year player Andrew, the younger brother of Gold Coast star Mac Andrew, used the slur during the Swans' VFL clash with North Melbourne on Saturday. The AFL integrity unit investigated the matter after a North Melbourne player informed an umpire about it during the match. The investigation found that Andrew used a highly offensive homophobic slur towards a North Melbourne opponent. 'In the course of the investigation, Andrew made full admissions and was remorseful and apologetic,' the AFL said in a statement.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rival AFL player breaks ranks with eye-opening statement about Steven May
Carlton star Patrick Cripps has declared he "doesn't understand" what the AFL wants Steven May to do differently when two players are contesting the ball. The AFL Tribunal handed May a three-game ban on Wednesday night for his brutal collision with Blues player Francis Evans. The Melbourne Demons star was found guilty of rough conduct for his bump that concussed Evans and left the Carlton forward with a broken nose and a chipped tooth. May's lawyers used a biomechanics expert to calculate he had only 0.56 seconds from the ball's final bounce until the moment of the collision. Biomechanist Daniel Cottam from the Australian Institute of Sport said the premiership defender would have needed at least 0.2 to 0.25 seconds to react properly to avoid the collision. "The time available to him to perceive and react to a complex scenario is not sufficient for him to adapt and avoid contact," Cottam said in his findings submitted as evidence for the tribunal hearing. May said he was shocked when Evans got the ball first because he was certain it would be him. But AFL Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson decided May did have ample time to realise there was a big chance he wouldn't arrive first. "The most he could have hoped was that he would arrive at about the same time as Evans," Gleeson said. "It was far more likely that he would reach the ball after Evans. As he gathered the ball, Evans had time to position his body just slightly so as to turn slightly away from May. "This gives some indication that May had sufficient time to make some attempt to move his body in a way that minimised or avoided the impact limits. May made no attempt to change his path, his body position or his velocity at any time leading up to or in the contest." Patrick Cripps and AFL world divided on Steven May ban Before the hearing, Evans' Carlton teammate Cripps broke ranks and questioned how May could have approached things differently. "I felt like both of them were trying to contest the ball," Cripps said on the 'On the Inside' podcast. "You never want to see a player get injured but I don't understand what we want players to do. If that's a grand final and (May) hesitates and Franky gets the ball, what do you do?" RELATED: New blow for Collingwood as important player sidelined for weeks Nick Daicos offers explanation amid Kane Cornes' Brownlow theory Discussing the verdict on Fox Footy afterwards, Former Hawthorn player Ben Dixon labelled it a "rubbish" decision. "Eight inches that ball bounces the other way, Steven May gets that ball,' he said. But David King replied: 'You're arguing that's eight inches. The AFL is arguing the decision to be absolutely going flat-chat with a collision inevitable, you have to make sure you miss the head. When you know contact (is inevitable) … you have a duty of care. 'What happens from here, you make your own decisions … the AFL are clearly saying the game has changed and you now have to assess your role and the duty of care to the opposition from there forward. I fundamentally agree with that. If you're out of control when arriving - having made that decision - you're in trouble, which I think is a good thing for the game, personally.' But Dixon countered: 'So what they're saying now is we've got a contact sport into a caution sport. You've got to approach that with caution … that's the fabric of our game.'
ABC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
AFL Tribunal hands Demons' Steven May three-match ban for controversial collision
Melbourne's Steven May has received a three-match suspension for the controversial collision that concussed Francis Evans and left the Carlton forward with a broken nose and a chipped tooth. May's case was sent directly to the AFL Tribunal on Wednesday night, with the rough conduct charge graded as careless, severe impact and high contact. AFL Tribunal counsel Andrew Woods pushed for a three-match ban to be imposed, declaring May should have slowed down or changed direction to either avoid or lessen the collision. It was a position with which the three-person tribunal ultimately agreed, delivering a guilty verdict after deliberating for more than 90 minutes. May had pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer Adrian Anderson arguing his client's actions were not unreasonable. The premiership defender clashed with Evans at speed while attacking a loose ball in the Blues' eight-point win at the MCG on Saturday night. Given the rolling ball popped up during its final bounce, Evans arrived a fraction of a second earlier than his opponent, with a charging May making contact after continuing his trajectory. May was also concussed in the same match, and he thanked the AFL tribunal for pushing the hearing out to Wednesday instead of the usual Tuesday slot. During his evidence, he reiterated the fact he thought he would arrive at the bouncing ball first. "I definitely thought it was my ball given how the previous bounces reacted," May said. "Then it took an unusual bounce given the conditions. It actually bounced up and towards Evans, which I didn't anticipate." May's hands were still in front of him in a collect-the-ball type pose when his shoulder made contact with Evans's head. "I thought it was going to be in my hands. I just can't believe I didn't take possession," May said. "I thought I did everything right. I was shocked." In his findings, tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said the evidence from the biomechanics expert showed May had only 0.56 seconds from the ball's final bounce until the moment of the collision, and that he would have needed at least 0.2 to 0.25 seconds to react. "We find, however, that May could and should have reacted before the moment of the last bounce of the ball," Gleeson said. "Even if, contrary to our view, May could and should not have reacted until the final bounce of the ball, we find that he had sufficient time to position his body so that he was no longer attempting to gather the ball. "It's important to note in this regard that May had a relatively long period of time to sum up the key features of the contest. "May ran a sufficient distance and had sufficient time with an unimpeded view of what was before him to determine what he could and should do in the likely event he did not reach the ball first or at the same time." AAP
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Blues youngster Ben Camporeale cops ban for brutal act that broke two of his opponents' teeth
Blues youngster Ben Camporeale has been slapped with a four-match ban in the VFL for rough conduct after his actions resulted in two of his opponents' teeth being broken. Father-son product Camporeale was cited for rough conduct after pushing Brisbane midfielder Deven Robertson into teammate James Tunstill at a centre bounce in the final quarter last Friday, causing the two Lions players to collide heavily. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Vision of the incident shows the ball spilling to the ground after the two rucks contested for a hitout. Camporeale then pushed Robertson in the back, causing him to smack into his teammate, with both men falling heavily to the ground. Play was stopped while trainers attended to the pair. They eventually both walked off but in clear distress and nursing dental trauma. You can watch the nasty colission in the player above. The match review committee incident was graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact. Camporeale can accept a four-match ban with an early plea or can challenge the sanction at the VFL Tribunal. A VFL suspension means the youngster is also ineligible for AFL selection this season. It's a disappointing turn of events for Camporeale and the Blues, with the first-year ball-getter previously on the verge of an AFL debut after impressing in the reserves ranks over several weeks. Across 14 VFL outings in his debut campaign, the 18-year-old has averaged 21.9 disposals and 4.5 tackles per game. He's managed six games with 25 or more possessions. If Camporeale's suspension stands, he will not be able to be selected for Carlton's upcoming fixtures with Melbourne, Hawthorn, Fremantle and Gold Coast.
