UPDATE
The AFL has won both its cases at the Tuesday Tribunal, with Saints forward Max King unsuccessful in overturning his one-match ban for rough conduct.
King collected Magpie Finlay Macrae with a high bump late in St Kilda’s Round 2 win, with the Match Review Officer deeming it careless conduct and medium impact.
23-year-old King himself gave evidence and suggested the contact was due to extenuating circumstances outside of his control, and that he took steps to avoid contact.
The Saints also suggested contact was low. Macrae got straight up from the incident.
However, King’s argument was to no avail and he will miss Saturday’s game with Essendon. So too will Peter Wright, after he earlier pleaded guilty to rough conduct.
EARLIER
Essendon forward Peter Wright won’t play again until Anzac Day against Collingwood after pleading guilty to rough conduct at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.
A hearing gave Wright a four-game sentence for the incident who knocked out Sydney’s Harry Cunningham, who was going back with the flight in Saturday’s eventual win over Essendon.
Harry Cunningham has come from the ground after this collision with Peter Wright.#AFLSwansDons pic.twitter.com/e3OqI5FnJN
— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 23, 2024
The two players arrive at the ball at the same time, although Wright has his eyes off the footy when his shoulder collects Cunningham in the head. The AFL judged it a reportable offence.
Wright’s initial charge of rough conduct was graded as careless, severe impact and high contact, with the AFL pushing for the 27-year-old Bomber to spend a month on the sidelines.
The case had certain similarities to Tom Lynch’s collision with Alex Keath last year and even so Brayden Maynard’s smother-gone-wrong that ended Angus Brayshaw’s career.
But a change to the AFL Tribunal’s guidelines over the summer dictate that past cases have no bearing on future hearings. With the AFL’s crackdown to protect the head, Wright was always likely to be suspended.
He’ll miss matches against St Kilda, Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Adelaide in the coming month after kicking four goals across the opening fortnight of the season.