The Essendon coach criticizes the AFL for its lack of clarity regarding controversial suspensions.
On Saturday, Greene engaged in a marking contest with Carlton’s Jordan Boyd, leaving the ground to make an attempt at marking before making contact with the Blues defender’s head. The AFL categorized the contact from the 2023 All-Australian skipper as careless conduct, medium impact, and high contact. The club intends to challenge this decision at the Tribunal on Tuesday.
Essendon supporters are likely to be displeased with the penalty imposed on Greene, especially considering the similarity to Peter Wright’s incident in Round 2. Wright, who is due to return from his four-week suspension for Thursday’s Anzac Day clash with Collingwood, was penalized for his involvement in a marking contest where he collided with Sydney defender Harry Cunningham while bracing for contact. This resulted in Cunningham being stretchered off due to concussion, leading to Wright being sent directly to the Tribunal.
Greene’s incident resulted in only ‘medium impact’ as Boyd continued playing after the collision. After the loss to the Blues, Giants coach Adam Kingsley dismissed the notion that there was a case to answer for Greene, citing the legitimacy of his captain’s contest for the ball.
Toby Greene has been handed a one-match suspension following this incident with Jordan Boyd.
Full Saturday Match Review findings: https://t.co/9v0Idxiu0L pic.twitter.com/5OvkK6S6g6
— AFL (@AFL) April 21, 2024
Echoing Kingsley’s sentiment, Scott raised questions about the Tribunal’s handling of similar matters, suggesting that players should be allowed to contest for the ball, similar to Wright’s case. He criticized the system, stating that it places the burden of proof on the accused rather than presuming innocence.
Harry Cunningham has come from the ground after this collision with Peter Wright.#AFLSwansDons pic.twitter.com/e3OqI5FnJN
— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 23, 2024
Furthermore, Scott highlighted the challenge in instructing players on how to approach marking contests, emphasizing the lack of clarity provided by the AFL. He expressed the coaching group’s efforts to seek clarification on how to advise players but noted the difficulty in doing so.
Joining Greene at the Tribunal on Tuesday are his teammate Jesse Hogan and West Coast defender Tom Barrass.
