Dylan Shiel’s tribunal case will be fascinating after the AFL match review officer sought to remind everyone that a player owes a duty of care to all other players, not just their opponents when referring him to the tribunal for rough conduct.
The charge was for pushing Geelong’s Mark O’Connor into a contest. But the motivation, it seemed, was because of that action’s domino effect.
Essendon’s Dylan Shiel pushes Geelong’s Mark O’Connor into a marking contest on Friday night. O’Connor collides with Luamon Lual, who requires a concussion test.Credit: Fox Footy
O’Connor, propelled forward by the push, tunnelled Shiel’s Essendon teammate Luamon Lual, who was flying for the mark. Lual landed on his head and neck and could have suffered a serious injury.
The decision to send it to the tribunal is reasonable as the push in the back (a rule neglected for far too long) did contribute to the outcome. But the argument to mitigate Shiel’s culpability will be interesting, as will the ramifications of the decision.
As Gerard Whateley reasonably asked on SEN on Saturday, does the case have to prove Shiel endangered O’Connor, or does it have to prove he endangered Lual?
Lual was flying in from the side, so it would be tough to argue the push’s eventual outcome was foreseeable, as Shiel could also argue he was looking to protect the drop zone. If the tribunal finds he needed to consider whether his actions were likely to endanger his teammate, many other unlucky incidents in football might come under the microscope.
Read more of Peter Ryan’s analysis here.
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