MRP fails another test

We knew there was another issue from the weekend that had annoyed us, but it wasn’t until tonight’s news that we recalled it.

 

News that the Match Review Panel had decided that Brian Lake’s ‘punch’ to Lance Franklin did not have sufficient force to warrant consideration throws up a consequent question: why then was Franklin not cited for staging?

 

It’s hard to think of a clearer example of staging than this. It closely mirrors the Kane Cornes example in the video released as part of the AFL’s explanation of the staging sanctions, in that Franklin’s actions are out of all proportion to the force of impact and are clearly designed to fool the umpire into awarding a free kick.

 

By the by, Franklin’s attention to the umpires is not an isolated incident. We acknowledge that his reputation as a dangerous forward means that he receives close, and often illegal, attention from defenders, but he gives the impression of looking for assistance from the umpire at every opportunity, rather than just getting on with playing the game.

 

It may not be according to the ideal, but were we an umpire and given a choice between awarding a free kick to an out and out ball player or to a whinger, the whinger wouldn’t be first in the queue. But back to the MRP.

 

It’s not hard to make a case for the MRP not having a firm grasp of the rules they are charged with administering. It’s also not hard to make a case for some players being more closely reviewed than others. The table of force, location and intent is a reasonable and logical basis for the league’s enforcers to start with. It’s the inconsistency of application that is worrying.