Ban to cost Lions’ Zorko clash with Hawthorn
Dayne Zorko has been suspended for his second incident involving contact with a rival’s face in five years and will miss the Lions’ post-bye clash against Hawthorn.
Zorko was offered a oneweek ban for putting his hands into the face of Adelaide’s Luke Pedlar in an incident assessed as intentional, low impact and high contact.
Zorko could challenge the incident but it continues an extraordinary tribunal rap sheet that includes eight striking charges, a staging fine and four other misconduct charges.
In 2018 Zorko was handed a $2000 fine for making unnecessary contact to the eyes of Carlton’s Marc Murphy but this time he was offered a suspension with the vision more clear-cut. Zorko had tackled Pedlar to the ground and while he did not seem to eye-gouge the young Crow, he clearly put his hands on his face in a grabbing motion.
Under the AFL’s tribunal guidelines, Zorko did not have to be guilty of eye-gouging to be suspended.
He only needed to be guilty of unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the face region.
It is an action that is dealt with under the table of offences, with the league also having the option of citing Zorko for unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the eye region.
In 2019 GWS star Toby Greene was offered a oneweek ban for a similar act against Brisbane’s Lachie Neale, with the tribunal upholding the decision which ruled him out of the preliminary final against Collingwood.
Zorko has often been at the centre of controversy as he plays close to the line, the latest incident last year when he was involved in a war of words with Melbourne players.
His sledge to Melbourne swingman Harrison Petty left the Demons defender in tears. Brisbane was adamant Zorko had been subjected to deeply personal sledges as part of that altercation.
He has only been suspended for three weeks across his career but has regularly featured with 15 total MRO charges.