Bomber beats ban at AFL tribunal

Essendon’s Mark Baguley is free to play against Melbourne this week after he escaped Tuesday night’s AFL tribunal hearing with a fine, not a suspension.

Baguley was charged with striking St Kilda’s Jack Lonie in the second quarter of the Bombers’ disastrous 110-point loss to the Saints at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with the incident assessed by the AFL match review panel to be intentional with low impact and high contact.

Baguley could have accepted a one-game ban for striking Lonie, but risked a two-match suspension by challenging the charge.

However, Essendon’s legal team, led by former AFL football operations boss Adrian Anderson, successfully argued that the contact was to the young Saint’s body, which resulted in a $1500 fine.

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