Dragon out for three weeks

Tribunal says elbow ‘thrown with some force’

BELL Park’s Patrick Knott has been suspended for three games for an off-the-ball elbow to the head of St Joseph’s star Rhys Hultgren.

The Dragon, who pleaded guilty before the AFL Barwon tribunal on Tuesday night, will miss games against Leopold, St Mary’s and North Shore.

Knott was reported by AFL Barwon’s Match Review Panel for what Hultgren described as a “wild elbow” in Saturday’s loss at Hamlyn Park.

Hultgren said he went to block Knott when the Dragon hit him with “medium to high” force to his left cheek.

“(Next thing I knew I was) on the deck from a wild elbow,” he said.

“I was in shock. (I was) not feeling great across the head, I felt a bit light-headed.”

He took no further part, going to the rooms with blurred vision and “light legs”.

He said it was “touch and go” whether he would be fit to take on Lara on Saturday.

Hultgren completed half of his team’s training session on Tuesday night.

The report submitted by the MRP said contact was intentional, high impact, behind play and above the shoulders.

While Knott pleaded guilty, he argued that the impact was minimal to medium and he did not intentionally mean to hit Hultgren.

He told the tribunal he threw his arms backwards to get the umpire’s attention after Hultgren grabbed his jumper.

He argued it was not his elbow, but his tricep that struck the Joey’s star and that he was flabbergasted Hultgren missed the rest of the match.

Knott said he apologised after the match.

He adding that it was not in his character to hit someone behind play. “I felt awful,” he said.

The tribunal, chairman Peter Murrihy, Amanda Evans and Werner Weigl, did not believe contact was a glancing blow or accidental. “It appears Patrick stops, props and then throws the arm back,” Murrihy said. “(We) find it’s intentional and severe contact. We find it’s an elbow that’s thrown back with some force.”

Knott’s advocate, Peter Burke, said the club would cop the three-game suspension.

“There was enough evidence to suggest the blow was glancing, the way the contact was made was a result of two players jostling and dragging and scragging for position and Pat is remorseful,” Burke said.

“There was never any intent to hurt or injure Rhys.” MEANWHILE, Corio interim coach Barry O’Toole was suspended for one match for an open hand strike on Thomson’s Reece Holwell.

Pleading not guilty, O’Toole said he pushed the Tigers coach to the back of the head.

He argued his action did not constitute a report.

However the tribunal disagreed, telling O’Toole an open hand can still constitute a strike if there is sufficient force.

Murrihy said the report was at the lower end of the striking spectrum.

Holwell said he felt impact to the back of his head and was taken by surprise.

“I wouldn’t say it was painful. It was enough (force) to throw me forward, I didn’t see it coming,” he said.

O’Toole said he thought Holwell was staging after Corio was awarded a free kick and 50m penalty.

“For a tough bloke like him I thought he went down pretty quick,” he said.

“I didn’t really push him that hard.”

“(Next thing I knew I was) on the deck from a wild elbow. I was in shock.” ST JOSEPH’S STAR RHYS HULTGREN ON THE HIT HE COPPED FROM PATRICK KNOTT