This was published 4 years ago
Full coverage from Anthony Colangelo and Greg Baum online tonight and in Friday’s paper:
Adelaide’s David Mackay has been found not guilty of rough conduct over his collision with St Kilda’s Hunter Clark in a case that, if he was found guilty, would have been a landmark judgement by the AFL tribunal that could have altered the way the game is played.
After deliberating for almost an hour, the jury has found that Mackay was contesting the ball and his actions were not unreasonable. He is free to play, and in the eyes of many in the football world, the status quo has been retained.
And the jury is still out. I’ve covered scores of tribunal hearings over the years and cannot remember a deliberation as long as this one.
Jury has deliberated and we await a verdict...
Sorry false alarm, it looks like David Neitz accidentally left the jury room.
The hearing has now gone longer than Saturday night’s St Kilda-Adelaide match itself.
It’s been about 20 minutes now and nothing yet. This has been widely described as a landmark case given Mackay was seemingly going for the ball, with many key voices in the industry saying the game will be changed dramatically if he is found guilty.