Chief Herald Sun reporter Mark Robinson has slammed the tribunal’s decision to not at least fine Giants forward Jesse Hogan for striking Carlton’s Lewis Young behind the play.
Hogan had his one-match ban suspension overturned by the tribunal on Tuesday night after it was determined the action was negligible and thus the charge was dismissed.
It was found that a striking charge must involve greater than negligible impact — despite a new rule for 2024 that negligible impact incidents can be upgraded to low impact based on the potential to cause serious injury.
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Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Tuesday night, a fired up Robinson was stunned that Hogan wasn’t reprimanded in any way.
“I can’t comprehend that, I really can’t. If he’s not going to get suspended, he should get a fine,” Robinson said.
“When can you throw a jab at a player and connect with him and they say: ‘Nah, you didn’t hit him too hard.’
“C’mon AFL, C’mon tribunal! I think the tribunal this year has really let footy down and I don’t say that flippantly.
“I’m staggered by that decision. If you’re going to throw (a fist) with that force and it’s just clipped him, well fine him for the action.
“We can’t have players doing that 100 metres behind the play. It doesn’t suit comfortable with me.”
It means Hogan will be free to face Brisbane this weekend, while fellow Giant Toby Greene still awaits his fate at the tribunal for his collision with Blue Jordan Boyd.
Fellow AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whatley noted how the tribunal found the Hogan strike didn’t meet the low impact “threshold” to “actually make it a strike,” adding: “But if you throw a punch and it lands in anyway, there should be a consequence to that.”
Robinson was however infuriated that such an act behind play was completely thrown out.
“So the threshold was it’s got to reach low, but don’t take any consideration into that is was behind the play, which is deliberate,” he said.
“I mean C’mon, I think that’s a really poor decision.
“You can’t escape any penalty for doing that, you just can’t. If they don’t want to give him a week, downgrade it, but don’t throw it out. That’s wrong.”
