MRP / Trib. How many weeks for Gaff? LIVE Tribunal Thread

[Patron]

Take the blinkers off.

He's smacked a teenager and broken his jaw.

Does the age of the player really make a difference? I stand by what I said, after reviewing the footage. I don't believe his intent was to hit him in the face.

 

[Quinz]

I do not believe Gaff intended to get Brayshaw high. Would be a dog act if so.

However, I believe he intentionally threw the strike. That strike resulted in severe contact to the head.

Gaff is one of my favourite non Tigers players. Always been a clean player. But he had a massive brainsnap. Didn't need to throw the punch in the first place.

Much like Bachar Houli, he is going to have to deal with the consequences of an action that he did that did not go as intended.

Once he decided to throw the strike, the only outcome that matters is the one that eventuated. Not the one he intended to happen.

Hopefully we have some good character witnesses and can get him a similar deal to Houli's two weeks at the tribunal

Although the AFL would probably appeal that too..

 

[Grockadoc]

Hopefully we have some good character witnesses and can get him a similar deal to Houli's two weeks at the tribunal

Although the AFL would probably appeal that too..

Yep. AFL have changed the system. Any case graded as Intentional, High, High/severe gets minimum 3. So no more 2 week Houli-like cases.

 

[Quinz]

I think as far as the adjudication is concerned it’s irrelevant. If you intend to strike I think that’s that, regardless of if you intended to strike low or high.

http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au/fileadmin/user_upload/Coach_AFL/2017_Tribunal_Guidelines.pdf

A Player intentionally commits a Classifiable Offence if the Player engages in the conduct constituting the Reportable Offence with the intention of committing that offence. An intention is a state of mind. Intention may be formed on the spur of the moment. The issue is whether it existed at the time at which the Player engaged in the conduct.

Whether or not a Player intentionally commits a Reportable Offence depends upon the state of mind of the Player when he does the act with which he is charged. What the Player did is often the best evidence of the purpose he had in mind. In some cases, the evidence that the act provides may be so strong as to compel an inference of what his intent was, no matter what he may say about it afterwards. If the immediate consequence of an act is obvious and inevitable, the deliberate doing of the act carries with it evidence of an intention to produce the consequence.

For example, a strike will be regarded as Intentional where a Player delivers a blow to an opponent with the intention of striking him.

 

[kane249]

Mate, Robbie Gray played the next week, and that incident was in a tackle with the ball in hand

Apples and golf balls

You're focusing on the outcome of the incidents and completely missed the point.

Freo fans defended Nyhuis and said it was Gray's own fault for getting knocked out because he didn't brace himself in the tackle. Nyhuis didn't have to slam him to the ground, he chose to do it and paid the penalty.

It's no different to some of the defence being mounted for Gaff.

As I said, fans have their own slanted view of things.

 

[Corn69]

I do not believe Gaff intended to get Brayshaw high. Would be a dog act if so.

However, I believe he intentionally threw the strike. That strike resulted in severe contact to the head.

Gaff is one of my favourite non Tigers players. Always been a clean player. But he had a massive brainsnap. Didn't need to throw the punch in the first place.

Much like Bachar Houli, he is going to have to deal with the consequences of an action that he did that did not go as intended.

Once he decided to throw the strike, the only outcome that matters is the one that eventuated. Not the one he intended to happen.

Good post, I think many on here including myself are just shocked and confused at what happened simply because in his 150+ game career he has never even come close to doing such a thing.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Mate, Robbie Gray played the next week, and that incident was in a tackle with the ball in hand

Apples and golf balls

Ignoring the fact you said you’d move on about an hour ago;

Your club celebrates the Suban/Johnson/Crowley/Ballantyne/Walters of the world.

One of your 22 players today has not only a cocaine ban to their name but also assaulted a teacher whilst out on the town drunk.

Your coach remains employed despite having paid off a female staffer to keep quiet about sexual harassment. He also remains employed despite his coaching credentials, but that’s another matter.

Could you please, please save some room on the high road for the rest of us?

Gaff (who has zero history of anything even remotely questionable) had a monumental lapse in judgement, did something reprehensible, looked immediately and sincerely remorseful and will cop a massive whack. That’s that, case closed. Why is that not enough?

 

[dajesmac]

Because they didn't all know he had socked Brayshaw earlier. All most people saw was him being roughed up (deservedly, though the crowd didn't know that) by a few Freo players. I'm pretty sure he actually had to get helped off by the medicos. Why not cheer a player who you thought went off injured when they come back on and kick a goal?

He'd had a ripper game to that point, had been collected by two Dockers and helped off in the hands of the trainers, then started to run off under his own steam.

Not uncommon to see a guy get a pretty big ovation in those circumstances.

I still think the cheer was disproportionate to the situation you describe, it seemed very significant both times. I've seen players cheered off the ground plenty but rarely like that. The goal also came a fair bit later after Gaff was originally hit.

Anyway, we can probably agree to disagree. We can perhaps at least agree that those who clapped unknowingly aren't in the wrong, and those who understood the situation fully and cheered him probably shouldn't have. At least that's my take.

 

[Glenno18]

I think it's 4 weeks but it'll be 6. He didn't swing high but made contact high so he'll have to pay the price. But I'd take that round arm club fist from Gaff any day over the Cameron running elbow to the face. Logic says if Cameron got 5 weeks Gaff should get no more but the AFL tribunal is outcomes based so they'll throw the book at him. Blood and missing teeth are a powerful thing

 

[BartBart]

Shame that this incident happened for all involved.

* Mark of the Year candidate
* Almost goal of the year candidate - similar to Kerr in 2003 I think (except ball hit the post)
* Freo thrashed
* 7 Derbies in a row
* Sheppard's 150th

 

[BartBart]

I still think the cheer was disproportionate to the situation you describe, it seemed very significant both times. I've seen players cheered off the ground plenty but rarely like that. The goal also came a fair bit later after Gaff was originally hit.

Anyway, we can probably agree to disagree. We can perhaps at least agree that those who clapped unknowingly aren't in the wrong, and those who understood the situation fully and cheered him probably shouldn't have. At least that's my take.

Maybe you are looking hard for something that wasn't there.

 

[Fyfster]

Because they didn't all know he had socked Brayshaw earlier. All most people saw was him being roughed up (deservedly, though the crowd didn't know that) by a few Freo players. I'm pretty sure he actually had to get helped off by the medicos. Why not cheer a player who you thought went off injured when they come back on and kick a goal?

Fair call sometimes when you are actually at the game you miss some things other side of the ground etc , And if you are not listening to a radio call maybe could be oblivious to the incident .

 

[EagleEgo]

"East Perth board member Tom Percy... a foundation member of the Dockers..."


Has an axe to grind towards the club.

Then he has to look at this incident again:

https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/a...m-selwood-ng-906a473e75bd2088c795e17aa4036e78

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

I still think the cheer was disproportionate to the situation you describe, it seemed very significant both times. I've seen players cheered off the ground plenty but rarely like that. The goal also came a fair bit later after Gaff was originally hit.

Anyway, we can probably agree to disagree. We can perhaps at least agree that those who clapped unknowingly aren't in the wrong, and those who understood the situation fully and cheered him probably shouldn't have. At least that's my take.

Personally I wasn't aware what had happened at all until three quarter time when I checked my phone. I saw Langdon getting stuck into Gaff but I just assumed Ross had finally decided to tag him.

And I didn't see a replay of the incident until I got home.

At the ground we largely had little to no idea what had happened unless we stared ignoring the game and browsed the internet instead.

 

[Wet Toast Rule]

Gaff quite simply chose the wrong way and the wrong time to have a brain fade.

The fact that he has an unblemished record, no suspensions, no fines etc simply shows we're all human and we're all capable of snapping.

Maybe if he did have a suspension or two he would have learnt to have more self control.

Not sure what was going through his mind, obviously has a lot going on. Totally out of character, but what's done is done.

 

[BartBart]

Personally I wasn't aware what had happened at all until three quarter time when I checked my phone. I saw Langdon getting stuck into Gaff but I just assumed Ross had finally decided to tag him.

And I didn't see a replay of the incident until I got home.

At the ground we largely had little to no idea what had happened unless we stared ignoring the game and browsed the internet instead.

Often you don't see things at the game as you do on tv and vice versa.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Often you don't see things at the game as you do on tv and vice versa.

Yes there is that too. I do find myself saying "what was that for" more when at the game than when watching on tv. Sometimes you just don't see everything.

 

[Barney44]

Been trying to think has any Eagle ever done anything like this before?

Kasey Green kicked a bloke but that was just a love tap. Chris Lewis was hang out in the media for biting but what was Vineys fingers doing in his mouth.

Only thing I can think of is Peter Melesso stomping on a players head, or was that when he was at Claremont? Olden days, only got a week for that.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Been trying to think has any Eagle ever done anything like this before?

Kasey Green kicked a bloke but that was just a love tap. Chris Lewis was hang out in the media for biting but what was Vineys fingers doing in his mouth.

Only thing I can think of is Peter Melesso stomping on a players head, or was that when he was at Claremont? Olden days, only got a week for that.

Wasn't there are few round houses in the demolition derby, didn't Gardiner connect a few? It wasn't of this magnitude though. I'm at a loss, this season has been something else indeed.

 

[BartBart]

Yes there is that too. I do find myself saying "what was that for" more when at the game than when watching on tv. Sometimes you just don't see everything.

Off the ball or things in close congestion you don't see properly at the game and big picture stuff you don't see on tv (why is he going sideways... because there are 3 spare men in defence!)

 

[Altum Volantes]

Been trying to think has any Eagle ever done anything like this before?

Kasey Green kicked a bloke but that was just a love tap. Chris Lewis was hang out in the media for biting but what was Vineys fingers doing in his mouth.

Only thing I can think of is Peter Melesso stomping on a players head, or was that when he was at Claremont? Olden days, only got a week for that.

Lewis had 2 ugly hits in one match late in his career - was against Essendon. Got 8 weeks in total and probably got off lightly.

It’s as bad as I can recall.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Only thing I can think of is Peter Melesso stomping on a players head, or was that when he was at Claremont? Olden days, only got a week for that.

Earl Spalding, that was the first game I remember going to.

Kerr had a couple of brain snaps but nothing like this. Lewis got seven weeks for something I think? Not biting Viney though, that was three from memory.

 

[BartBart]

Been trying to think has any Eagle ever done anything like this before?

Kasey Green kicked a bloke but that was just a love tap. Chris Lewis was hang out in the media for biting but what was Vineys fingers doing in his mouth.

Only thing I can think of is Peter Melesso stomping on a players head, or was that when he was at Claremont? Olden days, only got a week for that.

We've been on the receiving end a few times though.

 

[Smeg Head]

We've been on the receiving end a few times though.

Been a lot of cheering and gloating from vermin supporting Port today.

 

[Lincs]

Tom Bugg got six weeks, Barry Hall got seven weeks but IIRC there were additional weeks for previous bad behaviour. Gaff's was reasonably similar to both, so I'd guess six weeks is the most likely. I find it kind of hard to be objective because Gaff is so likeable and mild-mannered ... it's such a bizarre incident, and I'm still half expecting there to be some sort of mitigating circumstance. But there's really nothing he could say in his defence, other than "I was aiming for his chest and his head was lower than I expected" ... I doubt that would fly at the tribunal.