Butler cops ban, two Saints players fined for staging
Justin Chadwick |
Out-of-contract St Kilda forward Dan Butler has been slapped with a one-match ban and two of his teammates have been fined for staging after Thursday night’s 23-point loss to Gold Coast.
Butler was cited for rough conduct on Gold Coast’s Mac Andrew in the fourth quarter, with the incident assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
The 30-year-old has been restricted to just 16 games across the past two seasons and faces an uncertain future, given his contract with St Kilda runs out at the end of this year.
Butler was held to 0.1 from 10 disposals in the loss to Gold Coast, but racked up seven tackles and one goal assist.
The AFL’s crackdown on staging continued, with Hugh Boxshall offered a $1875 fine with an early guilty plea for his second offence, while fellow Saint Tobie Travaglia can accept a $1000 hit for his first offence.
Gold Coast’s Ben Jepson can accept a $1000 fine for careless contact with an umpire.
Meanwhile, Melbourne forward Jacob van Rooyen may not get the chance to play again this year after his three-game ban for striking Port Adelaide defender Aliir Aliir was upheld at the AFL appeals board on Thursday night.
The fifth-placed Demons (15-7) face the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday in the final round of the home-and-away season.
It means the Demons will need to win two finals games for van Rooyen to be a chance of playing again this year.
The 23-year-old is having a breakout season, having kicked 42 goals in 22 games, including bags of six against St Kilda and Richmond.
AAP