I think that Gaff is truly sorry for his sickening punch, and not just for himself.
With Gerard Whateley demanding 12 games and Neville Bruns stating that 12 months is appropriate, I can’t see Gaff getting less than 8 weeks, even with his expressed remorse.
It suits a lot of the Eastern states clubs to see West Coast without one of their best mids for the rest of the season, and you have to wonder if their media are also influenced by this.
I think the AFL will have to go hard on the penalty. The replay has been shown countless times - no one will have been able to avoid viewing it. Even after seeing and hearing brutal pub fights with broken jaws and cheekbones as a bar attendant at the Broadway Tavern in the 80’s, I found myself recoiling and gasping at the brutality of that blow. The AFL will know that there are a lot of Mums who will be following the outcome for Gaff with a lot of interest. Many will think that maybe their boys would be safer playing an alternative sport.
