AFL great Jimmy Bartel has criticised the tribunal for what he deemed an “amateur” approach which saw hearings happen several days after matches this week.
It’s been a busy week for the tribunal, with star forwards Harry McKay and Tom Lynch both having potential bans from the match review officer overturned on Tuesday evening.
There were two more suspensions handed out by the MRO from the Easter Monday clash between Geelong and Hawthorn, with the subsequent tribunal hearing taking place on Thursday night, the same night round five commenced.
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However, Bartel said the decisions should’ve been wrapped up well in advance of Adelaide and Carlton kicking off the AFL’s Gather Round.
“We can’t keep saying we’re a professional game on all levels and then that’s an amateurish approach,” he told Nine’s Footy Classified.
”I’m not sure what we’re doing. You can’t use public holidays for an excuse. I know people will go, ‘They’re workers like everyone else’, but the men’s season is seven months.
“Everybody else in the industry is working, media is covering it, coaches are coaching, players are playing.
“Why can’t we just get in front of it? Get it done because if you’re Carlton, you want this all put to bed on Monday if you’re playing on Thursday.”
Veteran AFL columnist Damian Barrett went a step further, suggesting the league should do away with the tribunal altogether.
“I’m big on actually removing the tribunal,” he told Footy Classified.
“To me, the match review officer has to be fully AFL headquarters-operated, not an independent operator like Michael Christian. I’m not having a crack at Michael Christian, I think he’s done a good job this year, but he’s independent of operations.
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“I think the AFL has to own it. They have to just remove the tribunals from their system and certainly remove retired players from sitting on the panel to adjudicate the outcomes of the tribunal system.
“Basically ban the lawyers who slow the entire process down.”
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