St Kilda aren’t happy with the suspension offered to Koby Stevens but the Saints are unlikely to take the case to the AFL tribunal.
The AFL match review panel’s decision to offer bans to Stevens and North Melbourne’s Jarrad Waite for similar tackles divided opinion on Monday.
Stevens was charged with rough conduct after he brought Greater Western Sydney’s Nathan Wilson to the Etihad Stadium turf in a tackle on Friday night.
Wilson was dazed but eventually came back onto the ground, but frustratingly for the Saints, Stevens was actually awarded a free kick by the nearest umpire.
“That’s tough for the player … the umpire in the moment and really close to the action? Free kick, great tackle,” St Kilda coach Alan Richardson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night.
“That was the way I saw it from the box.
“You’ve got to coach a group in terms of how to tackle and what’s legal and what’s not legal … that’s where it becomes challenging.
“On the day you get the right call or the call that works for you and then later on it’s called reckless.
“It’s a frustrating one.”
Stevens will miss Saturday’s clash against Carlton at Etihad Stadium if the club enters an early guilty plea, as expected, rather than risk a two-game ban if they unsuccessfully challenge.
Waite was also charged with rough conduct after Adelaide’s Tom Lynch was concussed in a tackle during the Roos’ big win in Hobart.
The North forward also risks a two-match ban if he unsuccessfully challenges the MRP’s assessment of what Geelong coach Chris Scott felt was a forceful, but legal, action.
“We don’t want vulnerable players in a position where their head is hitting the ground, but clearly the umpires and the MRP are seeing things differently at the moment,” Scott said on Fox Footy.
“It’s very difficult for the player who’s making the tackle to assess how vulnerable the player is.
“I think we’re asking too much of the players on this one. Especially when umpires with a really good view are looking at it and saying ‘That’s play on’ then the outcome two days later is a two-week suspension.
“I’d hate to think that a player is concussed is playing into the outcome.
“We do have a responsibility to look after the players but in my humble opinion those decisions aren’t right.”