The Duncan suspension was even worse. Papley gives Duncan a needless cheap shot on the way by, Duncan basically pushes him back, Papley stages for a free kick, gets it, and Duncan gets rubbed out for a week.
People complained that fines were an insufficient deterrent to players giving sneaky jumper punches and tummy taps, and yet the threat of suspensions haven't modified the behaviour of the players either. It's almost as if competitive, aggressive footballers in the heat of physical competition aren't contemplating the consequences of their modest pushes when dishing them out.
If suspensions don't work, I think to ensure the safety of the players the logical next move is to consider capital punishment.
