V/AFL great Leigh Matthews has put forward a radical plan that would see players sent off for reportable offences.
In the wake of Geelong defender Tom Stewart’s head-high bump on Richmond’s Dion Prestia last Saturday, there has plenty of talk surrounding a send-off rule for a player who causes a game-ending concussion.
Matthews says with today’s technology available, any potential reports can be reviewed with the perpetrator’s day ended if it is deemed an offence worthy of being sent off.
“We have now got the ARC where they’ve got really high definition video for decisions that are better than what we see on the TV,” he said on Sportsday.
“You’ve got the best vision and the ARC is set up to cover every game.
“We now know that almost every game a player comes off the ground with a concussion symptom and he’s off for the rest of the game.
“My view is if a player actually causes that concussion then I think there should be a system to say, ‘well, you’ve caused that concussion, that player has to leave the field, therefore you’re going to have to leave the field as well.”
Matthews outlined his system which involves an initial yellow card for a reportable offence before the incident is reviewed.
“This is my little system - the umpire has to lay a report, but if the umpire lays a report, let’s do it with a yellow card so the crowd and everyone else knows that player has been reported. Now that gives us time to review the situation,” he added.
“Does the victim player have a concussion and have to be removed from the game? If he is and if there’s an umpire report, look at the vision, have a check, make sure the umpire’s eyes haven’t betrayed him when he’s laid the report.
“If all those things are tick, tick, tick and a player has to leave the field, we check it on the video, the fourth umpire can do it, you could even go to the next break and let the umpire who reported do it.
“You don’t have to do it on the spot, but I think some time by the next break you either say the victim is ok or if there’s a report and the victim is off for the game and we think it is definitely reportable, then he (the perpetrator) is off for the game too.”
The Hawthorn legend and Collingwood and Brisbane premiership coach acknowledges this is not a major priority for the AFL given it only occurs infrequently, but feels a system like his is worth looking at.
“It’s not footy’s highest priority because it only pops up every now and again, it might only be once a year,” Matthews said further.
“Nevertheless, I’m big on the point of making the game itself fairer. If you’ve caused a player to have to go off, then you have to go off too.
“But I would give the officials, the fourth umpire, the ARC, whatever, time to review it to make sure they’re confident that the umpire’s report is valid, the victim’s off the ground with a head injury and now follows the perpetrator.”