Brisbane star Charlie Cameron will face Geelong on Saturday after the AFL tribunal converted his one-game suspension into a fine.
Cameron contested the ban he received for a tackle on Melbourne’s Jake Lever during Brisbane’s win at the MCG.
The tribunal dismissed his argument that the incident should be graded as “low” instead of “medium”.
However, the tribunal, led by chairman Jeff Gleeson, found “exceptional and compelling circumstances” to change the ban to a fine, considering Cameron’s clean disciplinary record.
This decision allows Cameron to face Geelong at the Gabba and extend his streak of consecutive games played to 123.
Gleeson mentioned that the incident was careless but not serious, and highlighted Cameron’s efforts to avoid causing injury to Lever, who is heavier.
The tribunal was swayed by character references from Eddie Betts and an Indigenous elder, but Cameron’s clean record was most influential.
The tribunal noted that Lever was not injured in the tackle.
“His 207 games suspension-free puts him in a very small minority … only 668 players of the 13,125 who have played the game at the elite level have played 200 games,” Gleeson said.
“Almost half of those have been suspended for one match or more. Mr Cameron is clearly in the unusual category in this regard.”
Brisbane wanted the grading of the impact to be reduced to avoid a suspension, even though Cameron pleaded guilty.
Cameron argued that Lever’s momentum caused him to lose control of the tackle, but he did not apply additional force.
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He noted that Lever raised his head after hitting the ground, attributing it to looking for a free kick, not the force of the tackle.
Tribunal counsel Sally Flynn argued that the potential for injury justified the medium grading of the incident, labeling it “inherently dangerous”.
Factors like Lever’s position, the angle and rotation of the tackle, and the force used were considered for the impact grading.
Cameron showed his skills by scoring three goals in Brisbane’s win against Melbourne.
With Cameron available, the Lions aim to extend their winning streak in the upcoming game against Geelong.
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AAP
