Jason

[Crows HQ @crom98_]

Lachie Neale has played 320 AFL games without ever being suspended. He’s a two-time Brownlow medallist with an exemplary disciplinary record, and now he could miss a Grand Final over an incident sitting on the absolute borderline between a fine and a one-match suspension.

There was no injury to Jack Ginnivan and no lasting impact. He got back up and continued playing. You can reasonably question whether his reaction exaggerated the contact in an attempt to draw a free kick. If he stays on his feet, does this incident even attract the same scrutiny?

If this were a clear two, three or four-week offence, the conversation would be completely different. But it isn’t.

Look at the players who have actually been rubbed out on Grand Final eve.

Jason Cloke in 2002 received two matches for striking Tyson Edwards in the preliminary final. Edwards was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken nose. Cloke challenged the suspension and lost, costing him his place in the Grand Final.

Anthony Rocca in 2003 received two matches for striking Brendon Lade. The Tribunal described the action as “forceful, unnecessary and reckless” and found it had the potential to cause serious injury. His appeal failed and he missed the Grand Final.

Then there’s Andrew Gaff in 2018. He missed West Coast’s premiership while serving an eight-match suspension after punching Andrew Brayshaw in the face, breaking his jaw and displacing three teeth.

Those were serious incidents with serious consequences.

Then consider the other side of the history.

Barry Hall in 2005 struck Matt Maguire in the stomach during a preliminary final. His initial suspension was reduced to a reprimand after Sydney successfully challenged the classification, allowing him to play in the Grand Final. Hall himself later acknowledged he believed he should have been suspended.

Nobody is arguing that what Neale did should simply be accepted. The action can be wrong while the consequence can still be too harsh, which is the distinction the @AFL needs to consider.

This isn’t about giving star players a free pass because it’s Grand Final week. If an act clearly warrants suspension, the player misses. But when an incident sits at the very bottom end of the suspension scale, proportionality and discretion should matter.

That’s why all of the circumstances should matter together:

320 games without suspension.
Two Brownlow Medals.
An historically exceptional record.
No injury to Ginnivan.
No clenched fist established by the footage.
A borderline Low/Medium impact incident.
And a punishment that takes away a Grand Final.

None of those factors alone necessarily justifies a downgrade. It’s the combination of all of them that makes this case exceptional.

Downgrading the incident doesn’t mean condoning it. Neale can still be found guilty and sanctioned. The argument is simply that a fine is proportionate to what actually occurred, while missing a Grand Final is an extraordinarily severe consequence for an incident of this magnitude.

If exceptional circumstances and discretion exist within the system, this is exactly the sort of case where they should matter.

And if all of that still isn’t enough, you have to ask:

What would be?

Because if Lachie Neale misses a Grand Final for this, where are we at as a game?

#aflfinals #lachieneale #brisbanelions #fremantledockers #afl #afltribunal

[Tom Atkinson @Tommy_A7]

Neale it wasn't a punch
Ginnivan it wasn't a punch
Vision inconclusive at best.
Never suspended in career

AFL no grand final for you.

What are we doing?

They will appeal and should get off.

[Grant Thomas @Thomo_Grant]

Says more about the AFL than Neale or the incident. How they could logically look you in the eye and deliver that sentence is ridiculous. If it wasn’t so serious it’d be funny. Shows the complete lack of logic and reason at AFL at the expense of their manic desire to be the moral barometer of society. Pathetic. I’m sure he’ll win the appeal otherwise the AFL will be more of a laughing stock than it currently is. Dills too gutless to send a strong message of standards to his departments to implement.

[SEN 1116 @1116sen]

The crime doesn't fit the penalty according to the Whisp.

READ: https://t.co/LK6zLcHNUa

#AFL @SENBreakfast

[Matthew Richardson @mattricho0]

What Ginnivan did just before this incident is worse. Neither of these incidents should have you missing a Grand Final. Move on

[Jason @JasonLions]

@aidenpash10 @paulcochrane Never a chance for the ball. Dog act that resulted in a rule change after the season. Didn’t deserve the Brownlow that’s for sure

[Nick Morris @BaggersFlaggers]

Fancy rubbing someone out of a grand final from footage taken from the Apollo 13 space shuttle fmd

[Crows HQ @crom98_]

If Lachie Neale misses a Grand Final for this, it would be a disgrace from the AFL.

A suspension for that — on the biggest week of the year? Come on.

#AFL #AFLGrandFinal #LachieNeale #BrisbaneLions

[Crows HQ @crom98_]

This is a disgrace from the @AFL once again.

Lachie Neale suspended and ruled out of a Grand Final.

Surely this isn’t what we want deciding who plays on the biggest day of the year.

#AFL #AFLFinals #AFLGrandFinal #BrisbaneLions #LachieNeale

[Jason @JasonLions]

@DamoMK Higher impact in 2 of them. Crazy rule- will be interesting how they(AFL) try get out of it

[p 🪩 @sideyisthegoat]

this is the second time this year (that I can think of) that ginni’s thrown some jumper punches. seriously when are the afl going to crack down on it?? I don’t see how punching someone is a suspension but punching someone with a fistful of jumper is perfectly legal??

[Tony Shaw @TonyShaw22]

If Neale misses GF for this our game is stuffed. Understand precedent but pretty simple was it punch or forearm? Was it low or medium impact? Ginnivan got up within seconds and deserved some retribution for a jumper punch just prior.

[Rob Robey-Kako @Cpcc15]

I want to see the best players going at it in grand final. There was nothing in what Neale did. Others have got off for a lot worse in prelims. Neales record has to come into it.

[SEN 1116 @1116sen]

Has Lachie Neale played his final game for the Lions?

@SENBreakfast | #AFL | #Cygnett

[Josh Shields @joshyshields]

I’m sorry, but if Lachie Neale is getting a harsher penalty than Sicily and Barrass charging at an umpire and abusing them, it’s completely wrong. #AFL

[Jason @JasonLions]

@RalphyHeraldSun Lots of salty hawks and desperate dockers fans here🤣

[Jason @JasonLions]

@tommorris32 2 out of those 3 were higher impact. It’s pretty clear there was no contact from Neale’s arm. Ginni to be fined for staging

[Jason @JasonLions]

@cleary_mitch @7NewsMelbourne @7NewsBrisbane @7AFL Gee nothing in that

[Jason @JasonLions]

@RalphyHeraldSun Played the man chose to bump. It’s a week, being a pie though means he will probably get 3 Brownlow votes instead