THE ANNUAL debate on match-day reports, and what role they can play in the highly scrutinised Match Review Panel era, has come early in 2017.
It has arrived on the back of Jack Riewoldt's weekend report for rough conduct, which has emboldened those who argue for the dated practice of the match-day report to be thrown out.
Coaches have long taken issue with the reporting of their players for incidents that look dubious to the naked eye but are quickly excused when shown on replay.
As Geelong coach Chris Scott said last year: "You would hate to think [a report] would take a player's mind off a game for no reason".
Riewoldt was reported in a JLT Community Series match, but the stakes of a match-day report are still high, with all punishments served in the premiership season.
The star forward was reported for rough conduct late in the second quarter when he collided with Collingwood's Jackson Ramsay, who courageously ran with the flight of the ball and attempted to mark in front of Riewoldt.
Rather than continuing on his line and crunching Ramsay, Riewoldt pulled up before giving his opponent a forceful shove and forcing the mark to spill, giving away a 50m penalty.
In real time it looked bad and Collingwood players were quick to remonstrate, suggesting they also thought there was something untoward in the collision.
But before Riewoldt's number had even been taken by umpire Robert Findlay, replays were shown on the broadcast instantly clearing the 28-year-old.
When asked about the report post-game, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick scoffed and laughed, saying, "I think he'll be OK. Anyway, moving on".
Match-day commentators and champion players Gerard Healy and Brad Johnson also poured cold water on the incident, with Healy saying it could be withdrawn and Johnson declaring, "There's nothing at all there".
So how many players find themselves in Riewoldt's shoes, potentially stewing on a match-day report before later being cleared when the forensic MRP process has been completed on Monday afternoon?
According to the MRP's weekly in-season statements, there were 16 match-day reports thrown out last season.
The Panel has a transparent system when it comes to explaining how it viewed match-day reports, giving a breakdown on how it came to dismiss each charge.
Of the 16 last season, 11 cases did not stand up to scrutiny because there was insufficient force or insufficient high contact.
The remaining five were dismissed because the reported player was contesting the ball legitimately.
The League has argued in the past that its umpires find match-day reports useful as a way to manage a match, taking the heat out of scuffle after a dubious incident has occurred.
"Match-day reports are done less and less these days but I think it still holds some sort of value for us … particularly in calming things down," former AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said last year.
If this is the only remaining purpose of the match-day report, perhaps it is time to investigate other ways to get play moving and deter scuffles from escalating.
In 2017 the MRP will have the ability to recommend sanctions to clubs for large melees or multiple breaches in a single season.
If eliminating scuffles and melees is the AFL's aim, then penalising scuffles and melees should be the solution. Match-day reports have had their time and no longer seem appropriate.
