The Brisbane Lions and GWS will consider heading to the appeals board after the AFL Tribunal upheld three-game bans to Charlie Cameron and Toby Bedford for tackling.
On a marathon night at the Tribunal, Lions star Cameron was unsuccessful in overturning his rough conduct charge against West Coast co-captain Liam Duggan.
Following the Cameron case, Bedford was also unable to downgrade his ban after tackling Richmond star Tim Taranto during the Giants’ win at the MCG on Sunday.
During both hearings, the AFL’s lawyer Lisa Hannon argued Cameron and Bedford should have released the arms of their opponents and been more careful when tackling.
“The fact Cameron’s foot may’ve become entangled with Duggan’s was entirely foreseeable and not an exceptional circumstance in a close up tackle,” said Hannon, who also told Bedford he should have acted in similar fashion.
The Lions and GWS will decide on Wednesday whether to challenge the verdicts at the AFL appeals board.
Given the strong reaction from past and current players to the bans, both clubs will give serious consideration to contesting.
Cameron’s Lions teammate Josh Dunkley and Bedford’s Giants captain Toby Greene both expressed their bewilderment at the respective suspensions.
“When I first saw it, I was standing next to (Richmond’s) Nathan Broad and having a discussion about it, we saw the replay and thought if Tim’s concussed then they might give it a week and then you’d probably challenge it,” Greene told Fox Footy on Tuesday night.
“‘Once he got three weeks, it doesn’t seem right to me, he’s making a legitimate play.
“I feel like this is overstepping the mark.
“This is a tackle that you’re going to see in AFL footy for the next 50 years.
“If you eradicate this, you’re just going to have to tackle standing up.”
Just last week, Sydney unsuccessfully appealed against Sydney star Isaac Heeney’s one-game striking ban that ruled him out of Brownlow Medal contention.
Under AFL rules, the Lions and GWS could argue there was an error of law during the tribunal hearing, that the decision was unreasonable or that the classification of the offence or sanction imposed were manifestly excessive.
Cameron will miss crucial games against ladder-leaders Sydney, Gold Coast and St Kilda as last year’s grand finalists, who have won six-straight games, surge to try and secure a top-four berth.
Bedford will miss GWS’s matches against Gold Coast, Melbourne and Hawthorn
