Adelaide's Shane McAdam and the Crows have been unsuccessful in their appeal of the forward's three-match suspension, with the suspension upheld after a protracted Appeals Board deliberation.

On Tuesday night the AFL Tribunal upheld the Match Review Officer's assessment of careless conduct, severe impact and high contact, seeing McAdam hit with a three-game ban for his bump on GWS player Jacob Wehr.

The Crows confirmed on Wednesday they would appeal the decision, with McAdam's case reopened on Thursday evening to the AFL's Appeals Board.

During an evening of back-and-forth arguments, it was of the view of Tom Duggan, representing the Adelaide Crows, that the Tribunal focussed primarily on merely the potential to cause injury, as opposed to the actual physical impact of McAdam's bump.

Duggan referenced Kysaiah Pickett's hit on Bailey Smith as an incident where the potential to cause injury was more relevant, due to the fact Pickett made significant contact with Smith's head.

"There was no raised elbow. It was a bump primarily to the body. There was not significant head force. Jacob Wehr was in possession of the ball and continued to play out the game," Duggan stated during proceedings.

"It's an entirely inappropriate way in which to deal with this ... this is a bump to the chest and arm and all of a sudden it's being charged as a head incident ... and elevated to something it's not.

"The mere fact (the Tribunal reaches) the view there is potential for injury to the head doesn't mean you suddenly elevate impact to severe, as the Tribunal seems to assume.

"Potential to cause injury is better used in a situation such as the Kysaiah Pickett bump, where he hurls himself through the air at Bailey Smith and actually makes contact with him and Smith remarkably picks himself up from the ground ... the 'iron jaw' example.

The AFL's lead counsel, Nick Pane, argued McAdam's position "fails to account for the consequences of the bump as a whole and considering the potential for injury.

"The Crows have in effect focused solely on the impact to the head and ignored the impact to the body. In doing so, they've ignored the potential of the bump to cause injury."

One of Duggan's final quips centred on a lack of consistency pertaining to punishment, which causes confusion and disagreement amongst many in the AFL sphere.

"There is an expectation amongst both players and fans that there will be consistency in terms of the penalties that are metered out by both the Tribunal, the Appeals Board, and the MRO," said Duggan.

The Appeals Board reached its verdict after close to two hours of deliberation.

The decision means McAdam will miss upcoming games against Richmond, Port Adelaide and Fremantle, and will return against Carlton in Round 5, Gather Round, after serving his suspension.

1 COMMENT

  1. “There is an expectation amongst both players and fans that there will be consistency in terms of the penalties that are metered out by both the Tribunal, the Appeals Board, and the MRO,”

    How could that cause “confusion” – it is self evident.

    As is the reason for it to be mentioned……

    I put tit that there was no “confusion” at all – just “disagreement” that the obvious be alluded to.

    “afl” … in name only.

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