Former Demons great Garry Lyon has insisted the AFL should appeal Shaun Burgoyne's MRO decision, labelling his escape with just a fine as a "staggering" verdict.
Many expected Burgoyne to miss at least one week after the veteran executed a dangerous sling tackle on Cats superstar Patrick Dangerfield on Friday night, but the MRO on Saturday deemed it 'low impact' and worthy of nothing more than a fine.
โThe AFL should come out this morning and say: We the AFL are appealing the decision that was handed down by the MRO,โ Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
โWe don't think it is consistent with how we see the concussion issue in footy. That was dangerous anyway you look at it and it was only lucky that Dangerfield didn't incur a much more serious head injury.
โOne arm was held in tight and it was a severe sling tackle into the turf. Now that is an absolute definition of what we want to get out of our game and yet the AFL, they talk the talk, they donโt walk the walk when it comes to this and concussion and that is a very poor decision and they should appeal it today.
โI genuinely believe it and Iโm staggered. I thought it was a two-week suspension and Iโm stunned.โ
Dangerfield played on after the tackle as the Cats romped home to a 61-point win.
Former Western Bulldogs and Richmond forward Nathan Brown has suggested the "good bloke factor" may have come into play.
โIf Toby Greene had have done the same thing the other night, it would have been one or two weeks automatically,โ Brown told Channel Nineโs Sunday Footy Show.
โShaun Burgoyne is such a great bloke, everyone loves him โ maybe there was a bit of a good bloke factor about it.
โAll weโre asking for is consistency. If Burgoyne's isnโt a week, these (examples) arenโt a week either.โ
Will Setterfield, for instance, copped two weeks for what many have called a similar sling tackle last year.
Yesterday I mentioned Setterfield's tackle against Gold Coast as a barometer for Burgoyne's punishment. Here's a comparison of the two. Setterfield copped two weeks for his, whilst Burgoyne got away with a $1000 fine. Why? #AFL pic.twitter.com/QADm4Gk9ue
— Jack Alfonso (@jackalfonso98) June 13, 2020