Melbourne young gun Jacob van Rooyen will front the AFL tribunal to challenge his two-match striking ban, while Carlton’s Nic Newman and Geelong’s Brad Close will attempt to have one-match suspensions overturned.
Key points:
- Jacob van Rooyen is facing a two-game ban for his high hit on Charlie Ballard
- A Demons statement said the club reached out to the Suns and Ballard has “recovered well”
- Nic Newman and Brad Close are both headed to the tribunal to try to overturn one-game bans
Van Rooyen received a two-match suspension for striking after his attempted spoil in a marking contest led to Gold Coast’s Charlie Ballard being taken off on a stretcher.
The 20-year-old’s action was considered careless conduct, high contact and high impact by AFL match review officer Michael Christian.
The grading resulted in a two-match ban that cannot be reduced with an early guilty plea.
Ballard was hurt but not concussed in the final-quarter incident at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
“The club has reached out to the Gold Coast Suns, and pleasingly Ballard has recovered well and is expected to play this week,” Melbourne said in a statement.
Van Rooyen — a first-round draft pick last year — has kicked 11 goals in six senior matches since debuting in round three.
Newman was suspended for making contact to Lachie Neale’s chin with his elbow during the Blues’ 26-point loss to Brisbane at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.
The 2020 Brownlow medallist was given a free kick for the incident during the third quarter, with Brisbane players remonstrating with Newman.
A Lions player was overheard on the broadcast describing the hit as a “dog shot”.
The match review officer charged in-form small defender Newman with striking, graded as intentional, low impact and high contact.
“Newy’s been massive for us this season — not just defensively but what he provides with the ball in his hand as well,” teammate Adam Cerra said on Monday.
“We don’t take it for granted … we’ve got options if he is to miss but he will be missed.”
Close was cited for a dangerous tackle on Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson.
Hawthorn’s Tyler Brockman has accepted his one-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Fremantle’s Brandon Walker.
Both incidents were assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
Port Adelaide forward Junior Rioli faces a nervous wait for Sunday’s match review findings after his high contact with Jordan Ridley behind play led to the Essendon defender being substituted out of Sunday’s Adelaide Oval contest with concussion.
AAP
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