AFL Tribunal Round 8: Melbourne to officially appeal van Rooyen ban as Carlton defender gets off

Aidan Cellini

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AFL Tribunal Round 8: Melbourne to officially appeal van Rooyen ban as Carlton defender gets off image

Geelong's Brad Close and Melbourne's Jacob van Rooyen have both had their hands upheld, with the Demons considering an appeal before accepting the decision.

Van Rooyen is set to miss games against Hawthorn and Port Adelaide, as his ill-timed spoil was deemed prohibitable.

As for Carlton defender Nic Newman, he can consider himself lucky as he walked away without a suspension.

Due to the help of Lachie Neale (who Newman struck), the Blue was able to avoid a week off as a crucial clash against the Western Bulldogs awaits.

However, despite a five-and-a-half hour marathon on Tuesday night at the Tribunal, there is still one more case to be deliberated.

Port Adelaide forward Junior Rioli was sent straight to the tribunal for his hit on Jordan Ridley, which is set to take place Wednesday 4pm.

Melbourne, van Rooyen successfully challenge ban

Following a failed attempt at the Tribunal to overturn the original decision, Melbourne decided to appeal Jacob van Rooyen's ban, which saw the forward make contact with Gold Coast defender Charlie Ballard's head during a spoil.

Fortunately for Dees fans, the two-match suspension was lifted by the AFL Appeals Board on Thursday night, freeing van Rooyen to play in round nine.

The contest brought about much discussion, with the majority in favour of allowing the young Demon to play.

However, Ballard's teammate Will Powell believes that van Rooyen "got what he deserved" before Melbourne were successful in overturning the suspension.

“I just think he got it wrong,” Powell said on SEN.

“It’s widely covered now that if you make contact with the head and don't make contact with the footy, you're going to be in a bit of trouble.

“I think the MRO is doing a really good job of staying on top of (these incidents) which is perfect.

“He didn't make contact with the footy, didn't have eyes with the footy and smacked Charlie in the side of the head.

“I think he got what he deserved, the MRO is doing a good job.”

Port Adelaide's Junior Rioli learns fate

Junior Rioli was sent straight to the tribunal for his hit on Essendon's Jordan Ridley.

Junior Rioli has been referred directly to the tribunal for this incident. pic.twitter.com/zibniN8zua

— AFL (@AFL) May 8, 2023

Rioli's plea at the tribunal was unsuccessful, resulting in a two-match ban being upheld for his actions.

The Power was able to reduce the penalty from three games arguing the strike on Ridley was severe instead of high impact.

The Bomber defender left the ground dazed and concussed, meaning he will enter the 12-day concussion protocols and miss at least round nine.

After 30 minutes, the tribunal deemed Rioli's actions as high, not severe.

"Rioli's intention was to block Rioli and not strike him (Ridley), he delivered a blow with his hand or arm," AFL Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson said.

"On one view he was unfortunate but moving his arm the way he did meant that he was careless to whether he committed a strike."

Geelong's Brad Close to miss crucial Richmond clash

As for Close, he copped a one-week ban for his 'dangerous tackle' on Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson.

The Geelong midfielder was seen to pin both of Dawson's arms, preventing him from being able to protect himself before hitting the ground.

Chairman Jeff Gleeson gave his reasoning as to why the ban was upheld on Tuesday night.

"We accept that players tackle by grabbing an arm," Gleeson said.

"But if the tackler realises or should realise that the tackled player is coming to ground with momentum - and does not release the tackled player's arm that he might have used to protect himself - he is likely to have breached his duty of care to the player."

The jury upheld the original charge of careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

Carlton's Nic Newman gets off scot-free

After the original charge for the strike on Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale was deemed intentional conduct, low impact and high contact, Nic Newman somehow managed to get off scot-free.

Neale reportedly submitted a letter that detailed while Newman's left elbow made contact with his chin.

"I think I lifted his left arm upwards and it had the effect of his left arm clipping me on the chin," Neale wrote.

Neale was video called to give further evidence and felt that Newman's right arm wasn't high, although that was what AFL counsel Andrew Woods flagged as the issue.

"Because I copped that initial hit, I'm off balance which makes any sort of push easier to get me to ground," Neale replied when asked about Newman's second shove that resulted in the Lions star falling to the ground.

Jeff Gleeson than cleared Newman of the charge, allowing him to play in round nine.

"The vision is not sufficiently clear to enable us to determine whether the right arm contacted Neale just below or above his shoulders," Gleeson said.

Aidan Cellini

Aidan Cellini Photo

Aidan has surrounded himself with all types of sport, but resonates most with AFL and basketball as he still plays both competitively. He loves being active and enjoys sharing sporting moments with friends and family.

In his spare time, Aidan likes to read biographies as well as keep active and healthy. He's also a big fan of Matthew McConaughey and Marvel movies.