PORT ADELAIDE POWER’S Sam Powell-Pepper has received a four-match ban for his concussive challenge on Adelaide Crows’ Mark Keane during Friday’s match simulation between the clubs.
Powell-Pepper made heavy shoulder contact with the head of Cork man Keane, who was in the process of being tackled by one of Powell-Pepper’s teammates.
Keane was consequently removed from the pre-season run-out with a head injury.
Port Adelaide man Powell-Pepper pled guilty to a charge of ‘rough conduct’ at the ensuing tribunal. The midfielder said that he had attempted to make a legal tackle but could not recall what had happened in the final milliseconds before he made contact with Keane.
Mark Keane has been ruled out of the rest of the match sim with concussion. Not a great look for Sam Powell-Pepper and his round 1 chances, just weeks after being elevated into Port Adelaide’s leadership group #AFL pic.twitter.com/XKGJfXknzw
— Matt Forrest (@mattforrest29) February 23, 2024
“My sole intention was to tackle,” Powell-Pepper reiterated. He also confirmed that he had sourced Keane’s phone number and made contact with the Mitchelstown and Ballygiblin GAA man.
The Australian Football League, who are making a concerted effort to clamp down on head-high challenges ahead of the new season, pressed for a four-game ban for Powell-Pepper. His club, the Power, meanwhile, contested that anything more than a three-game ban would constitute the AFL making a “scapegoat” of the 26-year-old.
The Power were allowed to call upon evidence from a biomechanist to assist their defence of Powell-Pepper.
However, after an unusually long, three-and-a-half-hour hearing on Wednesday, Powell-Pepper was banned for Port Adelaide’s opening four games of the AFL season in what will be considered a landmark decision by the sport’s arbitrators.
“As contact was about to occur, Powell-Pepper altered the position of his right shoulder and with his right arm tucked in made heavy and high contact with Keane,” explained tribunal chair Renee Enbom.
“Even if the shoulder movement was a reflex action, that fact does not mean that the conduct as a whole involved minimal capability.
“We consider Powell-Pepper’s conduct to have been very careless. He ran at speed towards a tackle that was occurring.
“If he didn’t anticipate that the tackled player would be moving in the tackle, he should’ve reasonably anticipated that.
“He had a duty to take reasonable care to avoid head high contact when seeking to assist in a tackle. He did not take any steps to avoid the contact that ultimately occurred.
“Even if we accept the shoulder movement was a reflex action, the reflex action occurred because he ran at speed at a player who was already being tackled. Powell-Pepper took no steps to avoid high contact with the player being tackled. In all of those circumstances we consider four weeks to be an appropriate sanction.”
Port Adelaide are understood to be weighing up an appeal against the tribunal verdict.
