Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy has implored the AFL to crack down on violent acts.
His words come in the wake of Sydney star Lance Franklin having a one-match ban downgraded to a fine by the Tribunal after swinging his arm into the head of Fremantle’s Luke Ryan.
Franklin had originally been offered a suspension, but the Swans argued the careless conduct with medium impact and high contact charge, successfully having it overturned and subsequently freeing him to play against Essendon this weekend.
It comes after Richmond’s David Astbury, Brisbane’s Joe Daniher and West Coast’s Luke Shuey all escaped suspension for similar incidents earlier in the season.
Murphy feels it is time for the AFL to make a stand on these sorts of actions on the footy field even if they aren’t directly causing concussion.
“I’m now having a really hard time whenever these incidents come up because it seems to me that the AFL are working backwards from their exposure in the future for concussion payouts,” he said on SEN’s Bob & Andy.
“If there’s no concussion involved it’s almost just ignored.
“I’m all for the attention and the sanctions and the heavily scrutinised incidents that result in concussion, all for that.
“But violence to the head, not that the game creates, that the player creates. ‘Buddy’ creates that whole situation. Player hanging off him, I’ll shift the ball to the other hand and whack. Aimed to hit him in the head, that’s a violent act.”
Asked if a four-week sanction would rid the game of such actions, Murphy replied: “I think it would eventually and in a short period eradicate those incidents.
“I reckon you could remove it so quickly. It’s a decision. The game hasn’t put you in a position where you’ve had to react instinctively. It’s ’nah, I’m making a decision here’.
“I love Buddy as much as anyone else, but we actually saw the decision. That should be four weeks and you won’t get them (anymore).
“When we hear that now, it will seem alarmist to people. ‘Come on, settle down’. I understand that, but if we just make a stronger call now on those actions, next year we won’t have to worry about them.
“They won’t happen. You won’t have any of them. Players will go, ‘ok, any sort of punch or elbow, I’m getting a month’.
“The cynical side is this is more about legal positioning and money than it is violence and health, really.
“I’m expecting a big overhaul at the end of this season.”
Franklin walked away with a fine and will now take on the Bombers at the Gabba on Saturday night as the Swans chase a top four spot.