League pulls punches over Jones hit
ZAK Jones was yesterday let off with a fine for his hit on Hawk Luke Breust less than a week after the AFL said it planned to knock out punching.
The Swan struck Breust in the upper chest area in Friday night’s hard-fought clash at the SCG, with the match review panel yesterday grading the act as intentional, low impact and to the body.
With Hawthorn ahead in the third quarter, Jones – sitting up from the turf as Breust knelt beside him – swung his right arm back and up to strike Breust on the upper sternum.
The panel handed down its findings hours after member Jimmy Bartel – who last week called for specific “nonfootball” offences such as punching to be introduced – said that without new laws, their hands were still tied.
Jones was fined $1500 as his second offence, with a medical report from the Hawks considered in the panel’s ruling.
League football operations boss Simon Lethlean declared last week that players would no longer be given the benefit of the doubt over punching.
“We will not accept on-field punches of the nature that we have seen in the last few weeks,” he said at the time.