AFL tribunal upholds three-match ban for Richmond's Rhyan Mansell as precedent set on 'dangerous' act
Updated . First published
Richmond's Rhyan Mansell has had his three-match ban upheld after he was punished for shoving St Kilda's Liam O'Connell into a marking contest on Saturday.
The Tigers appealed the ban at the tribunal on Tuesday but lost, which has set a precedent for the AFL’s stance on the controversial move.
O'Connell suffered a concussion and was left in distress, leading to renewed calls for the move to be "outlawed".
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The calls came after a number of similar incidents in the pre-season which followed a memo from the AFL warning clubs that players could be found responsible if injuries occur.
Mansell pushed O'Connell into a marking contest inside the Tigers' forward 50 late in the first quarter of the Marvel Stadium clash, which St Kilda won 20.15 (135) to 7.11 (53).
As a result of Mansell's push, O'Connell collided into Richmond's Tom Lynch and hit the deck. He jogged off groggily and was substituted out for Angus Hastie.
Rhyan Mansell pushes Liam O'Connell. Getty
"That is dangerous," Garry Lyon said on the Fox Footy broadcast.
"That is what needs to be outlawed. That's got to be stamped out."
Jason Dunstall agreed.
"We've got to stop that," said the Hawthorn legend.
Despite the fact O'Connell was pushed by Mansell, Richmond's Lynch received a free kick because it was deemed he'd been held by St Kilda's Anthony Caminiti.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, speaking in his post-match press conference, revealed O'Connell was left with a "shiner" but said he hadn't seen the push.
Liam O'Connell pictured on the bench after the heavy collision. Getty
The veteran mentor erred away from giving an opinion on players being pushed into marking contests.
"To be honest, it's not my job," Lyon said.
"I've got my hands full dealing with you blokes [the media] and the opposition, let alone trying to reinvent the rules.
"I'll leave it to the powerbrokers, the decision-makers. The coaches, we just facilitate what's put in front of us and make decisions. Clearly it seems like it's a head-office situation ... I carry no weight here."
