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Sport Nation
Healy: Enough is enough, AFL needs to introduce red cards
Gerard Healy • April 22nd, 2025 8:35 pm
As we anticipated, Conor Nash has been sent straight to the tribunal for his reckless action at the MCG yesterday.
The AFL have for many years put their head in the sand regarding a send off rule, and again their ambivalence to this issue has let the game down.
The often-used excuse that there is very few of these incidents is wearing thin because there happening way too regularly, and for fairness alone, the umpire needs to have access to a red card facility.
Forget about the detail, that can be debated at some other stage after the principle has been addressed and for too long the AFL executive and the commission have got this one wrong.
For goodness’ sake, how many more have to be KO’d before there is an epiphany at the AFL headquarters?
Nash will go to the tribunal and receive somewhere between four and six weeks, the latter would be in my view what it’s worth, but it still doesn’t address the fairness of Geelong being one man down for half the game.
It’s lucky Geelong won the match, for the outcry would have been far greater, and perhaps Richard Goyder - the chairman of the AFL commission - should force this through as part of his legacy before he leaves, unless Andrew Dillon has picked up the challenge and changed his view and will now lead the change personally.
Leadership is required and a change of mindset from the ivory tower, who ironically tremble at the knees over concussion, but are themselves soft in the head when someone gets knocked out.
Work that out.
