AFL vows to KO the biff
KNOCKOUT punches to the head could trigger heavier suspensions if players continue to throw haymakers.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan yesterday signalled a crackdown on brutal hits after two weeks marred by on-field violence.
The proposal could see recent suspensions for Melbourne’s Tomas Bugg’s (six weeks) and Richmond’s Bachar Houli (four weeks) dramatically increased.
“If it’s not a significant deterrent where the penalties are now . . . then raise the stakes,” McLachlan said.
“That’s a discussion I will have with the team.
“This is a serious issue, we are taking it seriously, we have called it out now, and if there is a view that, say six weeks, is not enough of a deterrent, we will look to escalate it.”
A career-ending 14-match suspension for senior AFL staffer Ali Fahour playing in a suburban competition last weekend ignited an already tumultuous few weeks for the game and its judicial system.
But McLachlan said a red card send-off system was unlikely to be introduced at the top level.
“I don’t believe a red card is any bigger a deterrent for say Tom Bugg than missing six weeks,” he said.
“I think our game with the video (technology) and the scrutiny means that we can actually get the sanction right and make the right decisions.
“And I think there are potential challenges for the umpire to make the right decision every time in the heat of battle (regarding a send-off decision).
“It potentially raises other issues . . . and you’ve got to make sure you understand all of the implications, because it will address some but our worry is that it raises others.”
The league also talked tough earlier in the season about stamping out punching after a series of players, including Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and North Melbourne’s Ben Cunnington, escaped with fines for striking.
After foreshadowing a rule change with tougher sanctions, the league retreated and instead instructed the match review panel to be tougher on interpreting force and other factors.
McLachlan said there was no longer any tolerance in the community, or in football, for punches to the head.
“We are a leader in a number of issues and we are certainly a leader on this issue,” he said.
The AFL tribunal initially slapped Houli with a twoweek ban for a swinging arm to the head of Carlton’s Jed Lamb in Round 14 before it was increased to four matches on appeal.
Bugg copped six weeks for belting Swans defender Callum Mills in the head at the MCG last Friday night.
Meanwhile, police said yesterday they were investigating the Fahour incident. They said it would be “inappropriate to comment further at this time”.