While the bump apparently still has a pulse, Jack Viney’s case is also a big nail in the coffin for old-school advocacy at the AFL tribunal.
Viney’s successful appeal emphasises how clubs are ditching part-time player advocates in favour of full-time lawyers.
As one club official noted on Friday, it is becoming a lawyers’ tribunal.
The key figures at Viney’s appeal hearing on Thursday night were Jeff Gleeson SC (the AFL advocate), Peter O’Callaghan QC (appeals board chairman) and David Grace QC (Viney’s advocate).
Brian Collis QC was also on the appeals board panel and the hearing was dominated by debate on points of law.
The other board member was Richmond premiership player Michael Green – also a solicitor.
Renowned player advocate Iain Findlay represented Viney in Tuesday night’s tribunal hearing, where the Melbourne player was found guilty and received a two-week ban.
Grace, one of Melbourne’s most-prominent lawyers, then took over Viney’s case.
Advocates such as Findlay, who had strong police and football backgrounds, used to be the go-to men for clubs.
The AFL once frowned on lawyers representing players at the tribunal.
But that changed with the introduction of the current tribunal regime in 2005, which has much more legal principle built into it.
Clubs have increasingly turned to lawyers to represent their players at tribunal cases.
Terry Forrest, then a QC and now a Supreme Court judge, masterminded an all-time great case in 2005 that freed Sydney’s Barry Hall to play in their premiership side.
AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said on Friday that it was up to clubs who they used to represent their players at tribunal hearings.
“The AFL doesn’t choose who represents a player,” he said.
“The appeals process is a very legalistic argument.
“There is still a great skill at tribunal at being able to draw out evidence … particularly the words a player might say, marrying that up with what the vision he’s seeing and then presenting that in a succinct way to the tribunal.
“I’m not sure that necessarily means you need a QC, but there certainly is a skill at that.”
