“We’re in all sorts of trouble”: AFL greats react to Toby Bedford suspension call

Kane Cornes is certain that GWS’ Toby Bedford will beat his three-game suspension at the AFL Tribunal.

The Giants’ tagger was handed the ban by MRO Michael Christian for a tackle that concussed Richmond’s Tim Taranto.

Taranto receives the ball from a Toby Nankervis hit-out at a stoppage. Bedford, who is following him closely, simply tackles Taranto from behind, hugging both his arms and bringing him to the ground.

Unfortunately, the Tiger’s head hit the turf, resulting in a concussion, but Cornes cannot believe that it has resulted in a suspension.

“No, he doesn’t have a case to answer. He’ll get off. We’re in all sorts of trouble if that action leads to a suspension,” Cornes told SEN Breakfast.

“That tackle was far less dangerous than what Patrick Dangerfield did to Sam Walsh. I know Walsh wasn’t concussed, but that’s luck of the draw.

“What I’m interested in looking at – Dangerfield was so compelling in his evidence and he understands how to defend himself, will other players be as confident and do what Dangerfield did and defend themselves.

“I can’t see how there’s a way that the Giants won’t get Bedford off.

“It’s really important because Bedford’s become a pivotal player through that midfield as a tagger and plays an important role.

“We can’t have a situation in our game where that tackle, which he couldn’t have done anything differently, leads to a three-match suspension.

“I don’t know one person that believes that tackle deserves a three-game ban. Was it careless? Where’s there ever been a rule that you’re not allowed to pin both arms in a tackle. It was a legal tackle that is allowed in this game.”

Hawthorn great Luke Hodge wonders what the Giants will argue to free Bedford, given the suspension is to the letter of the law.

“The first thing I’ll say is – could he have stopped that? Did he go outside the grounds of tackling someone in our game? Did he go outside the grounds of what would be classified a good tackle in our game?” Hodge told SEN’s Sportsday.

“I’m sitting there going, there was no force, he wasn’t braced through his legs, he didn’t pick him up, twist and dump, he held on for dear life because he’s probably 10KG lighter than the player with the ball and there was no intent to hurt him.

“He was just holding on trying to not let him get away, which you’re allowed to do in our game.

“The hard thing for him is what the Tribunal is going to look at, which is whether he had his arms pinned, which they were, and whether his head hit the ground, which it did, and he went off with concussion.

“That’s what they’re going to look at and that’s why it’s going to be hard to argue to get off this case.”

Many AFL pundits took to Twitter to express their frustrations as well.