Hawthorn’s Chol cleared by AFL tribunal for Cat tackle
Steve Larkin |
Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol has been cleared of rough conduct by the AFL tribunal for a tackle that concussed Geelong ace Tom Stewart.
The charge, and Chol’s proposed three-game ban, were dismissed after a 100-minute hearing at the tribunal on Tuesday night.
Five-time All Australian defender Stewart will miss Saturday’s grand final against Brisbane after entering the league’s 12-day concussion protocols.
Chol’s rough conduct charge was graded by match review officer Michael Christian as high contact, severe impact and careless conduct.
Chol didn’t give evidence but his counsel Myles Tehan disputed the charge arising from last Friday night’s preliminary final.
“He (Chol) feels sorry for what happened to Stewart as a result of this footballing accident,” Tehan told the tribunal.
“We all know what the consequence is, by reason of the concussion protocols, and of course the significance of the game this weekend.
” … But it was a football accident. That tackle was not unreasonable.”
Albert Dinelli KC, for the AFL, argued Chol failed in his duty of care to Stewart.
“Chol falls on the player and his (Stewart’s) arms are pinned … and it’s only once his head hits the ground that player Chol rolls off,” Dinelli said.
“And indeed player Chol’s actions in propelling him forward is such that there was considerable force with the ground which obviously results in the concussion.
“The ball is released as player Stewart was falling to the ground but his arms remained pinned to him in such a way that he’s not able to break his fall.
“And it’s that vulnerability caused by the tackle upon which we focus.”
Chol had options to mitigate the risk including releasing one or both arms of the Geelong star, or rolling him to one side, he said.
But Tehan challenged the AFL’s assertion that Stewart’s arms were pinned, and Chol didn’t roll off the defender.
A tangle of legs between Chol, Stewart and another Hawk tackler, Sam Butler, had contributed to the outcome, he said.
The Hawthorn advocate said Stewart “gets a handball of some description out and his left arm starts to move forward”.
“That was an opportunity for Stewart to move his left arm in a way that might protect himself,” Tehan said.
“Of course we’re not at all victim blaming in this … but it was reasonable for Chol to expect that Stewart would be able to move his arm to protect himself.”
The three-member panel – tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson KC and former players Paul Williams and Shane Wakelin – deliberated for 50 minutes before handing down their verdict.
“An important factor in our consideration was the involvement of the Butler tackle, in the way that it affected the Chol tackle,” Gleeson said.
“Butler’s tackle caused Stewart to lose his feet and by the time Chol commenced his tackle, it was inevitable that Stewart was going to ground.”
Gleeson also noted Stewart handballed while tackled by Chol.
“The limitation on the movement of his (Stewart’s) arms was not absolute,” he said.
“The question is, however, whether what Chol did was unreasonable in the circumstances. We are not clearly satisfied that it was.”
AAP
