MRO Thread

[Axe Man]

Hunter has accepted 1 week, Jack Graham to challenge his suspension.

[bornadog]

Good decision I think. Let the team get on with winning the Grand Final but keep having a crack at the injustice perpetrated by the AFL.

Club statement: Katie Brennan

Three principles have been of paramount importance to Katie Brennan and the Western Bulldogs following the suspension of Katie by the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night:

to fight the injustice and inequality to women which afflicts the AFL rules;
• to give the team the best possible chance of winning Saturday’s Grand final;
• to do her best to make herself available to assist on field with pursuing that success.
After the rejection of her appeal by the AFL Appeals Board on Thursday, Katie spent several hours with Club senior management discussing her options.

The AFL yesterday submitted to the Appeals Board that if Katie challenged the discriminatory nature of the AFLW rules, Katie should take that claim to an external court.

In preparation for this, Katie’s legal team served draft documents on the AFL for a Federal Court challenge to her suspension, and a separate challenge against the AFL to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

After lengthy consideration, Katie has decided that in the best interests of the team on Saturday it is best to resolve the matter by not seeking to pursue the Federal Court application.

She will not play in Saturday’s Grand Final but will instead strongly support the team tomorrow from the sidelines.

However, both she and the Club remain resolved to right the injustice and gender discrimination which is inherent to the current AFL Rules.

Accordingly, Katie has this morning filed proceedings with the Australian Human Rights Commission seeking to have her suspension overturned and for the AFL to amend the differences between the AFLW regulations and the AFL regulations to ensure that in future, other women players are not more likely to be suspended than men for identical conduct with identical disciplinary records.

To be clear, Katie is not seeking to play tomorrow. She wants her suspension overturned in time in the interests of justice, and the rules changed to make sure what happened to her does not happen to anyone else.

“I believe my tackle on Harriet Cordner was reasonable and I strongly disagree with the guilty finding,” Katie said.

“It is even more troubling to know that if I was a man playing in the AFL and was reported for the identical tackle, I would not have been suspended and I would be playing in a Grand final tomorrow.

“The fight for gender equality is as every bit as important to me as the Grand Final and the decisions I have made reflect both of those priorities.”

Club CEO Ameet Bains said: “We are immensely proud of Katie and stand by her. Our team will be doing its best to re-pay her faith in them tomorrow.

“We share Katie’s view that her suspension was wrong and we will fully support her challenging the AFL Rules on the basis of gender discrimination.”

Western Bulldogs AFLW captain Katie Brennan free to play round one next season. League changing the rules to mean suspensions for women are same as for men. Human Rights Commission action has been dropped.

Thanks to WB and the actions of Katie, the AFL has now changed this stupid and unfair punishment to be more equitable with the men's game.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Let's face it he deserved a week for stupidity.

Was stupid, but Papleys acting was first rate - did Hunter even get him in the face? it looked like contact was to the chest and then Papley grabs his face

[Testekill]

If Hunter was going to hit Papley then I would have much preferred he hit him really hard. Papley is such a grub

[westdog54]

Was stupid, but Papleys acting was first rate - did Hunter even get him in the face? it looked like contact was to the chest and then Papley grabs his face

Hunter absolutely gets his face.

[bornadog]

I have said it a million times, MRP is a joke. How Burton gets away with knocking out Higgins is beyond me, accidental clash of heads or not, he chose to bump, and the consequences was Higgins knocked out

The other one is Mitchell getting away with elbowing Goldstein to the head. Cordy got a week for the same thing.

AFL really don't have any idea.

[bornadog]

Hunter absolutely gets his face.

What is the difference between that one and Macrae lying on his back and a Freo player pressing his forearm into Jack's neck - that would have hurt - didn't even get sited. The Hunter one is just a fine not a week off. Papley is a spoilt brat acting out as if he was punched hard to the face - weak as piss.

[AndrewP6]

Christian must have money on Mitchell for the Brownlow.

[Bulldog Joe]

I have said it a million times, MRP is a joke. How Burton gets away with knocking out Higgins is beyond me, accidental clash of heads or not, he chose to bump, and the consequences was Higgins knocked out

The other one is Mitchell getting away with elbowing Goldstein to the head. Cordy got a week for the same thing.

AFL really don't have any idea.

Cordy did not raise an elbow. Hooker's jaw made some contact with his bicep. It was a much more innocent action than the one by Mitchell.

[Doc26]

I have said it a million times, MRP is a joke. How Burton gets away with knocking out Higgins is beyond me, accidental clash of heads or not, he chose to bump, and the consequences was Higgins knocked out

The other one is Mitchell getting away with elbowing Goldstein to the head. Cordy got a week for the same thing.

AFL really don't have any idea.

I can’t see any difference between Cordy getting 1 week for his strike on Hooker and Mitchell for his strike on Goldstein.
Mitchell’s somehow assessed with the softer misconduct whilst Christian deems Cordy’s as striking.
Striking inconsistency.

[Topdog]

Mitchell was very soft, I'm happy to see that not given weeks but when you compare it to Hunter getting a week it is laughable.

Burton getting off is incredible. Choose to bump and as a result Higgins was knocked out. He had the option of tackling but chose to bump, just staggering. It's like the last 5 years haven't existed.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2014-08-08/...anct-mclachlan

[angelopetraglia]

If Joel Selwood gets off .... "I'll spew up".

[bornadog]

If Joel Selwood gets off .... "I'll spew up".

How was Slobbo on AFL360 saying he should get off and sucking up to Chris Scott. It was sickening, I switched over to another channel.

[Rocket Science]

A while back when we were musing about the most loathed players in the game I suggested there was daylight between Toby Greene and second place.

James Sicily's taught me I was wrong.

[SonofScray]

A while back when we were musing about the most loathed players in the game I suggested there was daylight between Toby Greene and second place.

James Sicily's taught me I was wrong.

Sicily is playing the role of a pantomime villain, thinking he is tough. Behaving disgracefully at the moment. The sort of stuff he is doing off the ball (trodding on downed opponent) should see him out for a few weeks. Not in play, not necessary, deliberate and unsportsmanlike.