Forget what the medja muppets are saying, the MRP made no reference to the type, height or force of Silvagni's contact with Cripps.
However, I've just watched the 'Charged' video on the AwFL website and despite the actual MRP Statement making no mention of Gradings, the two talking heads said it had been sent of with a High Contact, High Impact grading. However, they were also saying that Cripps had a fractured jaw - hence the High Impact grading.
Are these muppets making it up as they go along? If Cripps has suffered no concussion or bone damage, how can it be automatically graded as High Impact? There's your first ground for appeal right there.
Based on the fact that Blind Freddy could see SCOS was running at 3/4 pace a few metres behind his direct opponent (Lycett) when Cripps (almost stationery nearby) spots SCOS coming and takes a huge stride directly into his path. I.e. Cripps attempted to block the run of a player 70m off the ball.
In the split second SCOS had to react, he threw up his arm, which cleared Cripps' shoulder (due to him being lower from the large stride) and his elbow connected with Cripps' head.
Despite folding like a cheap suit, Cripps was able to play out the game with no ill effects from a concussion or structural perspective.
Therefore, it should be graded:
High Contact
Careless Conduct
Low Impact
Under the current rules that would be 1 week downgraded to a fine Expect the grading of Low to Medium & Careless to Reckless (or even Intentional) to happen so that the Tribunal can 'make up' for their howler last week and SCOS gets 3 weeks.
Anything more and the club must appeal. SCOS did not intend to hit Cripps - Cripps initiated the contact. If Cooney's hit on Coniglio was only graded as Medium Impact (that caused a concussion and the player missing the rest of that game as well as the following week - i.e. the same penalty as the perpetrator) then it should be classified as Low Impact.
If the Tribunal was a court of law the country would be in total anarchy. Imagine Cooney up before a judge on murder, but thanks to a glowing character reference from a former coach, he gets let off as it was his 'first' murder. That's pretty much the rationale they came up with last week.
