From the Tribunal Panel
We find that the impact here was severe. The guidelines provide that when considering impact, consideration will be given to the extent of force.
It is apparent from the video footage that the force here was very considerable indeed.
Players met at speed and Voss swung his arm at speed. Contact was not checked in any way. It did not glance off any part of Vlastuin's body.
His arm was fully extended and quite rigid. Vlastuin's legs appeared to give way underneath him and he collapsed to the ground. It took him approximately 20 seconds to get back to his feet.
The extent and nature of the force of impact, and the fact that the full force of the impact struck Vlastuin's face leads us to find the potential for more serious injury was real.
Fremantle submitted there was no evidence that would permit us to find that there was potential for injury. We disagree. The video evidence shows quite clearly that this was a forceful blow to the head, and one that experience and common sense indicates could readily have resulted in a concussion.
The example video of Jack Crisp (and Kallan Dawson) is not sufficiently comparable. The arm there was not swung with the same force, and we are informed that Crisp did not suffer any injury. He also appeared less affected by the impact.
We are satisfied that the impact of this strike was severe.
