Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper is free to play in Saturday’s clash with Sydney after overturning his one-match ban for rough conduct at the AFL Tribunal.
Powell-Pepper’s final-quarter tackle on Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy last Saturday was initially assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
During the tackle, Powell-Pepper wrapped his arms around McEvoy’s waist and slammed the Hawthorn big man backwards into the turf.
McEvoy’s backside hits the turf first before his head snaps back.
The AFL’s legal counsel Jeff Gleeson said the problem with the tackle was with how it finished up, stating McEvoy was in a vulnerable position because he was falling backwards.
The jury took 20 minutes on Tuesday night to find Powell-Pepper not guilty, saying they weren’t satisfied that the player used unreasonable force.
Port’s lawyer Ben Krupka had earlier argued that the force Powell-Pepper used was reasonable given he was tackling a man who is 200cm and weighs more than 100kg, and therefore it shouldn’t be classed as rough conduct.
He also said the force of McEvoy’s head hitting the ground was minimal, if indeed the head hit the turf at all.
“We say there’s nothing you can criticise the technique for,” Mr Krupka said of the tackle.
“All this happened in a split second. McEvoy is 200cm, 105kg and is moving into the tackle. He has his arms free. To say in that split second … that excessive force was applied is totally unrealistic.
“This is not a show of strength. This is a tackle on a man mountain with the force required to bring him to ground.”
Powell-Pepper admitted to using maximum force to bring down McEvoy, but didn’t believe it was unreasonable.
“I went to tackle him and he shrugged me and got his arms free, so I lost balance and my only choice was to bring him down with me,” Powell-Pepper said during the hearing.
Geelong’s Luke Dahlhaus will also front the Tribunal after being slapped with a one-match ban for his tackle on Adelaide’s Matt Crouch on Sunday.
The tackle was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
Richmond pair Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin have challenged their staging charges through written submissions to the tribunal.
Grimes received a $1250 sanction as a second offence, while Vlastuin’s first staging offence drew a $750 fine.
Melbourne winger Ed Langdon and Adelaide’s Lachlan Murphy are challenging their respective $1500 fines for rough conduct (dangerous tackle) via written submissions.
