Power gun loses appeal

Gray to miss Round 1 as Port’s challenge gets thrown out

PORT Adelaide star Robbie Gray will miss his side’s Round 1 clash with Fremantle after the Power lost its appeal to a one-game suspension at the AFL tribunal last night.

The club yesterday chose to challenge the suspension that was handed down by the AFL’s new match review officer Michael Christian for a high hit on West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern in Perth on Sunday.

The hit was judged as care- less contact with medium impact to the head.

Christian claimed Gray “elected to bump rather than contesting the ball” in the incident that left McGovern concussed and after deliberating for just six minutes the tribunal jury agreed.

Gray’s player advocate, Mark Griffin QC, had argued that the incident was not a bump but rather a collision between two players and Gray had every intention of winning the ball until the final 0.3 seconds before impact when he saw McGovern from the corner of his eye.

Appearing via video link from Adelaide, Gray said he was “going flat chat” but slowed upon seeing McGovern and braced to avoid “carnage”.

When cross-examined at the tribunal hearing, the forward denied he had options to either tackle McGovern or dramatically veer left and avoid the Eagles player.

The Power also presented vision as evidence that included player tracking technology showing Gray had slowed his speed from as much as nine metres per second to just five metres per second at the point of impact to “minimise” any impact.

However, AFL legal counsel Andrew Woods stated there were “other things he could have done, albeit in a short space of time” and not judging the incident as a bump would create a “dangerous precedent” for the game.

Under new policies this year, Gray’s one-week ban stays the same but the Power will be billed $10,000 in tri- bunal costs for the unsuccessful appeal.

Gray, who remains eligible to win this year’s Brownlow Medal, kicked 47 goals from 23 games last year while also ranking as the No. 1 score assist player in the AFL.

Meanwhile, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver yesterday accepted a $1500 sanction for misconduct against North Melbourne’s Ben Jacobs.

And Port Adelaide’s Paddy Ryder accepted a $2000 fine for striking West Coast’s Andrew Gaff.