THE Robinvale Euston Football Netball Club is calling for the removal of the yellow-card system, after the SFNL tribunal this week cleared a second Eagle of intentionally striking in the latter part of the season.
Noah Foster was sent off for 15 minutes in the dying moments of the first half in the Eagles’ do-or-die final against Ouyen United at Quandong Park on August 28.
The umpire claimed in his report that Foster intentionally elbowed opponent Sam Mead to the head.
The SFNL independent panel, however, threw out the intentional striking charge at a hearing on Wednesday night.
The finding came after Foster’s teammate, Ethan Gill, was also cleared of intentionally striking Ouyen United’s Jake Cresp in round 17.
SFNL executive officer Peter Walker said video of the Foster-Mead incident was shown at the start of the hearing this week and the umpire representatives were given the opportunity to review the charge.
The umpires had declined to change their decision.
“In Sam Mead’s evidence, he claimed there was contact to his left side of the jaw. He felt it was more of a bump than a strike, and that was certainly reflected in the video,” Walker said.
“Noah had basically made solid contact on Sam in a hip-and-shoulder, knocking him over with not having any adverse impact on him.
“So the sticking point was whether it was intentionally striking. After deliberation, the panel felt it wasn’t deliberate.”
The latest clearance of an Eagles player prompted club president Phil Lamattina to call for the yellow-card system to be scrapped.
“We can lobby for the removal for it, especially in our league,” he said.
“Even though we go under the rules of AFL Vic, we’re governed by our own commission. This allows us to make a change in the rule.”
An “extremely disappointed” Lamattina said umpires already had enough rules to penalise players and teams.
“They can hurt you with a down-field (free kick), a 50m penalty or two 50m penalties and a resulting goal,” he said.
“An umpire can’t be the judge, jury and executioner on the field in that spilt-second moment, especially when (Mead) gets up, takes the free kick and participates in the rest of the game while our team gets penalised by having a player down for the next 15 minutes.
“That’s not right, especially in a final. We ran out of legs in the final quarter after doing so many rotations to keep Ouyen at bay with 17 men.”
Outgoing Eagles coach Andrew Richardson called for the umpires to be “retrained” and undergo “development sessions from outside resources”.
“Two players sent off for us in the final games of the year when it was clearly not necessary. Both players got off at the tribunal,” Richardson said.
“The players and club have to bear the consequences of those decisions from the umpires, yet they have no consequences for incorrect decisions that have a major impact on the game and the season.
“I find it hard to see the fairness it that. Umpires should also be held accountable for their actions, just as the players are.”
Sunraysia Football Umpires Association boss Shane Garraway declined to respond to Lamattina and Richardson’s comments.
