David Mackay found not guilty at AFL Tribunal over Hunter Clark hit

Tom Naghten

David Mackay found not guilty at AFL Tribunal over Hunter Clark hit image

Adelaide's David Mackay has been cleared at the AFL Tribunal over the hit which left Saint Hunter Clark with a broken jaw.

In a rare move, Mackay was referred directly to the tribunal by the Match Review Officer in light of the injury suffered to the St Kilda player.

On Thursday night, AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson argued Mackay's conduct was unreasonable in the circumstances and he had to have known he wasn't going to be first to the football.

Mackay and his representative disagreed, saying his eyes were only for the footy and he genuinely thought he could beat Clark there.

After a marathon hearing and deliberation, the three-man panel of Paul Williams, David Neitz and Richard Loveridge eventually found the 32-year-old not guilty.

Speaking via the Crows following the decision, Mackay reiterated his position and passed on his thoughts to Clark.

"I’d like to say that I’m obviously relieved with the outcome of the hearing tonight, and I’d like to thank my legal representative Andrew Culshaw and the Adelaide Footy Club for throwing their support behind me," Mackay said.

"But all week my thoughts have centred around Hunter and his wellbeing.

"It was never my intention to cause any harm, I was only trying to win the ball so I wish him nothing but the best moving forward."

The decision has been met with widespread relief from many corners of the AFL community who viewed this as a potential turning point in the officiation of the bump.

 

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.