Outcome of Mackay hearing won’t alter the way I play: Doedee

CROWS defender Tom Doedee says the outcome of Thursday’s highly publicised tribunal hearing of teammate David Mackay will not alter the way he plays the game.

Doedee, who had direct line of sight from about 20m away on the contest that left St Kilda’s Hunter Clark with a broken jaw, said the players are hardwired to attack the ball, and regardless of the outcome of the tribunal, that will stay in the game.

“At the moment I’m never really sure what the tribunal’s going to do … it’s not as if I know their criteria well and I haven’t looked through it,” he told 5AA.

“I just go out there and play each week.

“You have a duty of care in terms of leaving the ground and bumping high and punching, anything like that you know you’re not going to do because you know what’s coming.

“But the way we attack the ball, that’s going to stay in the game even if there are repercussions like this, just because that’s the way we’re wired to play the game I think.”

The Match Review Officer sent Mackay straight to the tribunal for the incident that saw Clark helped from Cazalys Stadium

during the second quarter.

The AFL later made a statement saying that the league would instruct its tribunal counsel to allege Mackay had carelessly engaged in rough conduct.

Crows’ head of football Adam Kelly said the club would be defending Mackay given he was only contesting the ball.

Mackay will appear before the tribunal via video link from a location in the Adelaide CBD.

The hearing will start at 5pm (AEST) and the 239-game veteran is expected comment on the case afterwards.

Doedee said from his perspective, he thought the incident was an unfortunate part of a collision sport.

“I was about 20m behind it, directly in line and from my point of view, and what the replay shows, (Mackay) had his hands out, he’s sprinting at the ball to try and create a contest and get the ball and unfortunately an injury occurred,” Doedee said.

“I think that’s a part of our sport, it’s a collision sport, a contact sport but I originally thought it was just a big hit where Dave ran at the ball and he did get the ball and then upon replay, I feel like it confirmed my thoughts on it.”