Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Conor ‘bite’ probe
TYRONE MAN IN THE DOCK DOWN UNDER
TYRONE’S Conor Mckenna has been charged with serious misconduct in the AFL.
It’s alleged that the Essendon Bombers star bit the neck of Western Bulldogs forward Tory Dickson in Sunday’s match at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium.
Mckenna will tomorrow face an AFL tribunal following his referral by match review officer Michael Christian.
The 22-year-old – who is being defended by former AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson – faces a large fine and may be suspended for several matches.
The incident occurred when the pair wrestled on the ground after Dickson won a free-kick for Mckenna’s tackle. Dickson ran to the Bulldogs bench immediately afterwards complaining of being bitten. The mark on his neck is expected to form a significant part of the evidence against Mckenna at tomorrow’s hearing.
The Tyrone man is not believed to have been wearing a mouthguard. “I viewed all available video footage, I viewed a medical report and our investigator also received players from both players,” Christian said.
“I believed there was enough evidence to sustain a charge of serious misconduct.”
Only a handful of players have been cited for biting in Australian rules history.
The last incident was in 2015 when West Coast’s Chris Masten was suspended for two matches after biting Fremantle’s Nick Suban. Mckenna has played 35 senior matches for Essendon since 2015 and signed a new four-year deal last season.