Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- North Melbourne’s Paul Curtis will miss the Roos’ next three matches.
- Shane Crawford urges Hawks forward Nick “the Wizard” Watson to bite his lip.
- Former Carlton ace Brendan Fevola wants Blues to pursue an experienced senior coach.
North Melbourne forward Paul Curtis has failed have his three-match suspension for rough conduct overturned at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.
Curtis was offered the ban after his tackle last Saturday left West Coast’s Hamish Davis with concussion.
The action was deemed careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
Curtis, who did not give evidence at Tuesday’s tribunal hearing, argued through his counsel Justin Graham KC against both the “rough conduct” charge and “severe impact” grading.
Graham said a “low impact” grading was more appropriate, while claiming ball carrier Davis’s momentum was a significant factor in the incident.
He added there was no double action in the tackle and that the force went first through Davis’s knees and hands before he hit his head.
Graham argued Davis’s arms were held at the biceps but not pinned, giving him “free movement” in the forearms, and that Curtis landed to the side rather than in his opponent’s back.
It was also noted West Coast players did not remonstrate with Curtis as play carried on.
“There’s no free kick and even the players behind the ball are not interested, it seems, in what occurred, so they haven’t noticed anything remarkable about the incident,” Graham told the tribunal.
While North Melbourne argued Davis was able to put out both hands, AFL lawyer Sam Bird said the Eagles player could not meaningfully use them to reduce the impact.
Bird said Curtis turned his body and dropped Davis rather than holding him up or releasing an arm, and argued the minimum three-match penalty for a charge of this nature was appropriate.
After hearing around 50 minutes of evidence, a tribunal chaired by Jeff Gleeson KC deliberated for another 50 minutes before returning their verdict.
The panel was comfortably satisfied Curtis’s tackle was a dangerous one.
“Curtis came in from the side, wrapped his arms around Davis’s arms and dropped and rotated Davis into the ground,” Gleeson said.
“Curtis made no apparent attempt to keep his feet, to release either of Davis’s arms or to rotate Davis onto himself.
“It was submitted on behalf of Curtis that it was the momentum of the tackle that caused the players to go to ground. We disagree.
“The vision shows that Davis had both feet on the ground when he handballed, and it was the technique of Curtis that result in him being brought to ground.”
– AAP
Hawks great urges Watson to give the trash-talking a spell
Jon Pierik
Hawthorn premiership great Shane Crawford has urged pugnacious forward Nick Watson to temper his public comments, declaring there is no need to pour fuel on a raging fire mid-match.
Watson was in superb touch against the Western Bulldogs in round 13, booting three goals in a fiery first-half battle with opponent Michael Sellwood as his team built a 27-point lead by the main break.
He then raised eyebrows in a half-time interview with Fox Footy’s Ben Dixon, claiming: “I don’t care if he [Sellwood] talks, as long as he walks the walk. I’d love to see it in the second half.”
Selwood did just that, holding Watson to only two disposals for the rest of the game, while the Bulldog had eight amid a stunning comeback win by the Dogs.
Crawford, speaking on Tuesday at the Legends Game for Prostate Cancer launch, said Watson should have bitten his lip.
“Look, they call them the Hollywood Hawks, and the majority of the time, that creates a lot of energy for the rest of the team and the rest of the crowd,” Crawford said.
“But, you know, you don’t want [to give] a lot of views on the opposition – it’s hard enough as it is.
“If you’re in that situation again, you might pick your words a bit more carefully but, at the end of the day, we love it. You back yourself in, it didn’t work, so I’d imagine that if you see the situation next time, he’ll be a more selective.”
Watson remains a key player in the Hawks’ premiership hopes, and will have an important role to play in Friday night’s blockbuster against the Gold Coast Suns at People First Stadium.
Key defender Tom Barrass (hamstring) and leading goalkicker Jack Gunston (foot) have been listed by the club as facing fitness tests. The Hawks have dropped three of their past five games, but still sit in fifth spot. They are just two points behind Melbourne (fourth) and Geelong (third) but have played one less game courtesy of their bye last round.
While their primary focus is on a flag, the Hawks have the opportunity of snaring key forward Ben King, who is a restricted free agent and is weighing up his future at the Gold Coast Suns.
King, leading the race for the Coleman Medal with 41 goals, has a two-year extension on the table from the Suns but, as reported by this masthead, opposition clubs believe the Hawks – who have also been keen on contracted forward Bailey Humphrey – are the main contender for his services if he decided to leave the Gold Coast.
Crawford said King would be an ideal fit, particularly with Gunston – equal-second in last season’s Coleman Medal race and equal-fourth this year – in the twilight of his career.
“Ben King would be awesome because he’s reliable, he’s big, he kicks straight,” Crawford said.
“I think he’d love playing at the MCG, and I still think his running ability, he probably doesn’t use it as much as he possibly could, so I think the MCG would be really good for him.”
Humphrey has been in a form slump, Crawford declaring the dynamic forward “needs to prove he can consistently play in the middle as well” before he pocketed a major pay day.
Fev urges Blues to punt for an experienced coach
Jon Pierik
Former Carlton star Brendan Fevola says the Blues must pursue an experienced senior coach, but has lavished praise on caretaker Josh Fraser for implementing a more attacking game plan.
The Blues’ search for a new permanent coach continues, having parted ways with Michael Voss last month after a disastrous 1-8 start to the season.
Under Fraser, the Blues have won their next four games and are within striking distance of the top 10, but Fraser has ruled himself out of contention for the top job, declaring he does not yet have the required experience.
Fevola, the two-time Coleman medallist and three-time All-Australian, said former Swans premiership coach John Longmire would be the ideal selection.
“I would love to see Adam Simpson or John Longmire down there, just for their experience over the next couple of years. With Tassie coming in [in 2028], it’s going to be tough,” Fevola said at the launch of the Legends Game for Prostate Cancer on Tuesday.
“We don’t want to be down the bottom. We need to get up, so an experienced coach is the way to go.”
Simpson, the former West Coast Eagles premiership coach, has ruled himself out as a candidate at both Carlton and Essendon.
But he, along with Blues’ chief executive Graham Wright, football boss Chris Davies and president Rob Priestley are on the four-man selection panel to find Voss’ replacement.
Former club great and current board member Greg “Diesel” Williams is a consultant in the process, as the Blues continue to identify potential candidates.
Longmire, who has a 63 per cent winning record and coached the Swans in five grand finals for four losses, is considered a prominent option for the Blues.
“I feel an experienced coach would be the best option, especially for a good young group. You want that older coach with a level head to get his charges in the right direction,” Fevola, an assistant AFLW coach at Richmond, told this masthead.
Long-time AFL assistant coaches Hayden Skipworth and Daniel Giansiracusa are also likely to be spoken to by the Blues.
Fraser, a long-time VFL, development and assistant coach, has installed a more aggressive, free-flowing game plan, and has re-energised skipper Patrick Cripps, who struggled for form earlier in the season.
“I think Josh Fraser is doing a great job. The players are playing with more freedom. It’s an attacking game … you’ve got to handball the ball forward and run, and I think the boys are really adapting to that,” Fevola said.
“Our DNA has been winning it at the contest, and then you try to muscle teams, but we’ve got a lot of great players who can run, so I think we’ve found the inkling of success that we need. Winning footy is good footy, and we’re a chance to make the top 10 now.”
The Blues resume their season against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
After defeating Essendon before their mid-season bye, Fraser was again asked whether he has any interest in becoming the permanent coach.
“That’s a big hypothetical and my answer right now would be no,” Fraser said.
Fevola had earlier this season said it was time for the Blues and Cripps to part ways. But the goal-kicking champion has now changed his mind.
“I said earlier this year he needed to leave for himself, get out of there, get over to the west [Western Australia] where you’re from, but these last five weeks, he’s back,” Fevola said.
“He’s playing with freedom. He’s carried the team on his shoulders for a long time … I just thought he was a bit stale with all the losses. But when we play well, we win, and he’s our best player, so he should stay.”
Fevola will captain and Geelong great Joel Selwood coach the Victorian side for the Legends game against an All-Stars line-up at Marvel Stadium on August 27 to raise money for prostate cancer research.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.
