Scott Cummings believes Fremantle’s Sam Switkowski was unlucky to be suspended for his chicken wing tackle on Collingwood’s Jack Ginnivan.
The Dockers forward copped a two-week ban for pulling Ginnivan’s arm behind his back during Sunday’s loss to the Magpies at Optus Stadium.
Former West Coast forward Cummings feels Switkowski was only banned because of the bad look of his actions and nothing more.
“I think it’s a suspension based on perception and the look of the game,” Cummings said on SEN WA Breakfast.
“I hate players getting suspended for incidents that cause no harm, no damage and don’t alter the game at all.”
It sparked a heated back and forth with co-host Tim Gossage who is quite comfortable with the fact Switkowski was suspended for what was deemed as “serious misconduct” by the Tribunal.
Gossage: “Did Sam Switkowski have to double motion the chicken wing tackle on Jack Ginnivan?
“That’s why he got two weeks.”
Cummings: “And because it looks bad, but it didn’t cause the player any discomfort, harm or anything.”
Gossage: “Most incidents don’t, Scott.”
Cummings: “Yes they do.”
Gossage: “No they don’t.”
Cummings: “Generally you get suspended if you hurt someone illegally.
“He’s done the wrong thing, it doesn’t look great.
“It doesn’t look great, that’s why he’s got two weeks. He hasn’t hurt anyone.
“He’s got suspended because it’s a bad look for the game.”
Gossage: “But you were happy for him to be found guilty and fined, but not miss games?”
Cummings: “Fined because you’re stupid and it’s a bad look for the game.
“I don’t think he needs to miss two because it’s a bad look for the game.”
Gossage: “I don’t understand, explain that to me again.”
Cummings: “He’s been found guilty and suspended for two weeks because the action that he did doesn’t look good for football and it might send a bad message to juniors.”
Gossage: “Yeah, that’s probably why he got two weeks.”
Cummings: “He caused no harm, no discomfort, it did nothing.”
Gossage: “How many incidents where a bloke gets reported for striking or elbowing or tripping and they get to the Tribunal and get suspended, is it determined by whether the bloke got injured or not?”
Cummings: “Are you serious? Most of it is.”
Gossage: “Front-on contact, head-high contact from hips and elbows and shirt-fronts, 100 per cent agree with that.
“But in an incident like a bloke standing there off the ground and he punches someone in the stomach behind the play and he goes to ground and he gets suspended for the low blow caught on camera, he gets a week or two, and the player is not injured.
“You’re telling me that because Ginnivan didn’t get hurt, Switkowski should avoid suspension when we see that time and time again in other incidents?”
Cummings: “Because the AFL is desperately keen, and fair enough too, to get rid of gut punches, jumper punches. It looks ordinary, it’s gutless, and gets you absolutely nowhere.
“It’s just different to what Sam Switkowski did. There was no discomfort for Jack Ginnivan. He went on to finish the game and he’s fine and fit and well.
“It looks bad, fine him $2000 and say mate, ‘Ordinary, bad look, don’t want to see that again, do it again and you’re (suspended)’.”
Gossage: “You must stamp out chicken wing tackles in any sport.”
Cummings: “It looks crap, I don’t want to see blokes doing that, but again, it’s caused no damage whatsoever, it didn’t alter the game, it hasn’t altered Ginnivan’s ability to play on or play again this week.
“It’s just a bad look.”
Gossage: “I thought he deserved two weeks, I really did.”
Switkowski will miss important clashes with top two sides Melbourne and Brisbane as the Dockers strive to get their season back on track following two defeats on the trot.