Carlton Blues Curnow brothers escape with fines after brush with referee
Sometimes it doesn't pay to be first: Tom Hawkins must be scratching his head after Carlton's Curnow brothers escaped with fines for making contact with an AFL umpire.
Charlie then Ed were fined $1000 by the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night, with North Melbourne skipper Jack Ziebell cleared of kneeing in the last case heard.
The Geelong spearhead's case was the first of four charges of making intentional contact with an umpire referred to the AFL tribunal over the past week.
He was the only one to receive a ban.
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The Curnow boys made almost identical cases to the tribunal and received the same result: not guilty of intentional contact but guilty of careless contact.
It followed Monday night's hearing where Gold Coast co-captain Steven May was also fined $1000 after successfully arguing his contact was careless.
Hawkins took a one-game ban in a plea bargain-style deal after he was threatened with a two-match suspension for touching an umpire during the Cats' round seven win over GWS.
Marcus Clarke QC, representing the Blues brothers, twice showed a video example of West Coast's Dom Sheed making contact with an umpire.
Charlie touched umpire Matt Stevic and Ed umpire Nathan Williamson during Carlton's drought-breaking win over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
In similar statements submitted into evidence, both umpires said they didn't say anything at the time contact was made, neither felt threatened or had any issues with what had occurred.
Both hearings took less than 30 minutes, the jury of Stewart Loewe, Jason Johnson and Wayne Henwood taking four and 12 minutes respectively to come to their conclusions.
"I'd just like to say that we both highly respect umpires and their position in the game as officiators and their importance to the game at all levels," Ed Curnow said as he left the hearing.
"We both understand the tribunal's decision and we respect the process involved."
The pair are free to play Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday following the verdict.
