Gerard Whateley has questioned the curious case of Zaine Cordy’s tribunal summoning.
The Bulldogs defender elected to bump Giant Tanner Bruhn when sheparding for teammate Ed Richards in the Bulldogs’ win over GWS on Saturday afternoon.
It appears the bump doesn't contact Bruhn high, but the 20-year-old hit his head on the ground and was placed in concussion protocols.
On Sunday night Match Review Officer Michael Christian didn’t grade the incident and instead referred Cordy directly to the tribunal.
It was an unusual move, and one that Whateley was not a fan of.
“The Zaine Cordy tribunal summons, I think in a football sense, is unconstitutional,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“You’re actually shifting the burden of proof to him tomorrow night to prove his innocence. That’s not the way that it works.
“If you want to send him to the tribunal – and all power to the system, there’s a concussion here – but you have to lay a charge.
“What’s Zaine Cordy defending tomorrow?”
Whateley called on the league’s senior counsel Jeff Gleeson to throw out the case when the tribunal sits on the current summons.
“When this goes to the tribunal tomorrow night, the Bulldogs should start by saying this has to be thrown out, and it should be successful,” he continued.
Subscribe to the SEN YouTube channel for the latest videos!
“This hearing should not take place tomorrow night under these circumstances. Jeff Gleeson should just tip it out at the start and go, ‘you can’t reverse the burden of proof’, this is unconstitutional what is happening tomorrow night.
“Either charge him or clear him, but this is totally unacceptable what’s happening.”
Cordy played on GWS forward Jake Riccardi and finished with four score involvements and two intercepts off half back.
The tribunal is likely to sit on Tuesday evening.