Australian Football Association of North America

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

TRIBUNAL

Charges Laid:

Anthony Rocca (COL), rough conduct against Sydney's Sean Dempster: assessed as negligent conduct (one point), medium impact (two points), and high contact (two points), equaling five points, a Level Two offense, 225 demerits and a two game suspension. He has no applicable good or bad record and accepted, reducing the penalty 25% to 168.75 demerits and a one game suspension.

Rocca decided to challenge the charge, arguing in his defense that he kept his feet on the ground and his arms tucked in when he bumped Sydney's Sean Dempster in an effort to shepherd ball carrier Alan Didak. He further argued that he made high contact to Dempster's head only because Dempster's body was leaning downward at the time of contact. Rocca said his first intention had been to put himself between Didak and Dempster to allow Didak to run on unimpeded. When decided to lay the bump, he said Dempster had been in an upright position as he chased Didak. When questioned about Dempster's vulnerable position, Rocca contended that Dempster should have had the awareness that someone would attempt to block his pursuit of Didak.

Rocca had the support of field umpire Michael Vozzo who gave evidence by telephone. Vozzo said he had a clear view of the incident and stated that he still believed he "got it right" in not reporting Rocca and that the free kick he paid in the match was sufficient. He supported Rocca's contention that Dempster's center of gravity was lowered at the time of the bump and that Rocca did nothing wrong.

AFL legal counsel Andrew Tinney argued Rocca's contact was illegal and unnecessary, and that the tribunal had to uphold the league's view that a player's head was sacrosanct. The panel agreed and upheld the original finding of the MRP. Because Rocca challenged the charge and lose the case, he lost any discount he could have taken and will serve the full two game suspension.

This was Rocca's first suspension since 2003, when he was found guilty of striking Port Adelaide's Brendon Lade in a preliminary final and missed the Grand Final.

Bulldog Nathan Eagleton also had his case heard, held over from the first week of the split round. Eagleton was charged with striking Fremantle's Chris Tarrant and offered a two game suspension by the MRP.

Eagleton attempted to have the charge downgraded to a one match suspension, arguing in his defense that he was only retaliating after Tarrant had hit him. While he pleaded guilty to the charge, he stated he was trying to get Tarrant to let go of him and did want to be hit again. His request to have the charge classified as reckless rather than intentional was denied and the panel upheld the two game suspension handed down by the MRP.

Carry-over demerits from accepting a charge of attempting to trip Richmond's Brett Deledio earlier this season put Eagleton a wafer-thin 2.5 points over the limit for two games. The tribunal did not accept a plea that this constituted compelling and exceptional circumstances justifying a departure from applying the standard demerits. Each 100 whole demerits equates to one game with the remaining demerits carried over.

Other Incidents:

A match day report against St. Kilda's Jason Blake for striking Eagle Daniel Chick was assessed by the Match Review Panel (MRP). The panel ruled that Blake made slight contact to the back of Chick's head as Chick had completed a shepherd (blocking move). The panel further ruled that Blake's action was not a striking motion but an effort to get around Chick's block and dismissed the charge.

The MRP assessed the match day report laid against St Kilda's Stephen Milne for rough conduct against Eagle Daniel Kerr. The MRP ruled that, although contact was high, it was an attempt by Milne to tackle Kerr and that Milne did not swing his arm into Kerr. The charge was dismissed.

Source: Melbourne Age; Herald Sun; Patrick Keane, AFL Media Release