Some of the AFL’s modern-day greats are calling for the league to make a snap change to the contentious match review officer guidelines as Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek faces a three-match suspension for a heavy clash on his Collingwood opponent.
Magpie Patrick Lipinski was on the receiving end of a heavy bump from Meek and left the field at the MCG on Friday night for a head injury assessment (HIA) test.
Under MRO protocols, Meek faces a three-game ban because of Lipinski’s concussion diagnosis.
But Garry Lyon, Brisbane Lions premiership star Jonathan Brown and former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley were united in their view that a three-game ban would be too severe.
“The players should be allowed – to have every right to try and make an attempt to spoil,” said Brown on Fox Footy about Meek’s clash with Lipinksi.
“I think it’s unfair to be expecting players to be absolute [and] perfect [with their] decision-making.
“I’m happy enough for him [Meek] to have a sanction, but it shouldn’t be three [games] ... because that is a player genuinely doing his best for the team to get there and make a spoil.”
Buckley called for the AFL to make an immediate change.
“If the outcome in terms of a concussion is reached, and that becomes a three-week penalty, then that should trigger the AFL to come out and make a change to the way that they legislate against these actions,” he said.
“And there should be something in between nothing and three [matches]. And it should be done now.
“They [the AFL] can do it any time.”
Lyon concurred with his fellow panellists.
“I think he [Meek] was genuine in his attempt, [and] not malicious. He got it wrong, [but] shouldn’t pay a three-week price for getting it wrong,” Lyon said.
Brown repeated a view that he feared a player would wrongfully miss a grand final.
“Obviously, we are concerned for the player [and] about the player who gets concussed,” said Brown.
“But I’m concerned that this will happen in the first week of a finals [series] ... and a player will miss a grand final.
“But ‘the rules are the rules’, the AFL say. ‘So we have to suspend him for three weeks’.
“Andrew Dillon has shown tremendous leadership during the week. Continue on with that leadership and just go ‘bang’.
“Captain’s call – ‘This is what we’re doing. The whole footy world agrees with it’.”