RECENT PLAYERS SUSPENDED FOR A GRAND FINAL

By our count, about 30 players have taken a dose of the silly pills before a Grand Final, for reasons ranging from striking and unduly rough play, to even “jostling, pushing and tripping”. With finals almost on us, and Steve Johnson’s finals indiscretion last year still in our minds that may or may not have cost the Giants a Grand Final berth (welcome back to Geelong, Stevie, by the way), we thought we’d revisit a few from past years.

2003: ANTHONY ROCCA (Collingwood) for striking Brendon Lade (Port Adelaide)

WHEN Power ruckman Brendon Lade had the audacity to headbutt the elbow of Collingwood’s favourite son Anthony Rocca, the Carringbush faithful lost it. So imagine their dismay when Rocca was rubbed out for two weeks, including the Grand Final against the all-conquering Lions. Heading into the tribunal, Pies president Eddie McGuire said: “We’re confident of putting a very good case before the tribunal on Tuesday night. We’ll go in and get as many people as required who will help our case, it’s as simple as that.” Obviously Eddie forgot that people generally detest Collingwood, and those required to help their cause didn’t bother turning up.

2002: JASON CLOKE (Collingwood) for striking Tyson Edwards (Adelaide)

THE tribunal rubbed Cloke out for two games, even after Cloke received a glowing character reference from his manager/father David, who said “I’m very proud of what he has achieved.” Cloke would go on to play in the 2003 grand final.

1999: JASON McCARTNEY (North Melbourne) for striking Clark Keating (Brisbane)

IT’S hard to fathom how unlucky McCartney was on the field throughout his career. Arriving at Collingwood in 1991 — a year after their droughtbreaking flag — he headed to Adelaide in 1995, missing out on selection in their debut premiership in 1997. Traded to North Melbourne in 1998, he played in his first Grand Final for the Kangaroos, losing to the team that had just traded him as the Crows went back-to-back. Finishing second on the ladder in 1999, the Shinboners moved through the finals with two 40-point plus wins, but lost McCartney to suspension after his clumsy hit on Lions ruckman Keating. Of course, McCartney would end up being a victim of the 2002 Bali bombings, fighting back bravely from severe burns to play one more game before retiring without a premiership medal.

1989: PETER SCHWAB (Hawthorn) for striking Andrew Manning (Essendon)

SCHWAB’S strike on Andrew Manning cost him a spot in one of the greatest grand finals of the modern era, as the Hawks held on to defeat a Gary Ablett-inspired Cats team by a goal.

1988: STEVEN O’DWYER (Melbourne) for striking Steven Da Rui (Carlton)

O’DWYER was suspended three separate times in his first season. A year later, and having helped the Demons make the finals as one half of the dominant ruck pairing with Jim Stynes, O’Dwyer gave Carlton’s Steven Da Rui a clip around the ears in the preliminary final and was rubbed out for three games. The big redhead still managed to win a best-and-fairest for the Demons that year, making a mockery of the word fairest in the meantime.