• The Viney verdict: the footy world has its say
JACK Viney is "very unlucky" to have been suspended for his bump, and the rule on head clashes may have "gone too far", outgoing AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says.
The Melbourne midfielder will appeal the two-match suspension handed to him by the AFL Tribunal for his hit on Adelaide's Tom Lynch last weekend.
Demetriou said he could see why there was confusion around the incident and penalty.
The Melbourne midfielder will appeal the two-match suspension handed to him by the AFL Tribunal for his hit on Adelaide's Tom Lynch last weekend.
Demetriou said he could see why there was confusion around the incident and penalty.
"It's a really complex and very difficult issue, particularly the way the rule's structured. I wasn't at the tribunal but I understand all the views put forward and there's a lot of commentary around that," he said on Wednesday.
Suspension a simple call: Barrett
The Viney incident frame by frame: Hover your mouse to pause and scroll forwards or backwards
"He's very unlucky, there's no doubt about that.
"It's a legitimate issue to say he didn't have much choice but given it's going before an appeal we'll wait and see the outcome of that."
Demetriou, who will end his term as AFL boss next month, said the changes to the head clash rule after last year's incident involving North Melbourne's Lindsay Thomas may need to be reviewed.
"You could argue [the Viney incident] was accidental, but I think what it highlights, though, this rule got amended after the Lindsay Thomas incident and people can argue whether the rule's gone too far, and I think that's a legitimate argument," Demetriou said.
"Those will be issues for (football operations manager) Mark Evans and (incoming CEO) Gill [McLachlan] to look at going forward."
Describing the Viney clash as "unfortunate", with Lynch suffering a broken jaw, Demetriou didn't buy in to the theory the bump no longer had a place in the game.
The Viney incident frame by frame: Hover your mouse to pause and scroll forwards or backwards
"I don't subscribe to this theory that the bump's dead. I don't subscribe to this theory the game's not tough," he said.
"The intensity that's out there on the football field, it's actually incredible. And much different to when we played. There is a lot of physicality in the game. These are finely tuned athletes.
"Having said all that, you are going to have incidents that are unfortunate, you are going to have accidents. You're going to have things you can't predict."
Speaking at Whitten Oval, where he helped launched the Western Bulldogs' Sons of the West men's health initiative, Demetriou said the AFL Tribunal jury had few options when considering its verdict.
Viney and the Demons will appeal the decision on Thursday night.
"I guess there is an argument to say that the tribunal had no option yesterday under the way the rule's structured," he said.
"The tribunal was heard by three retired players – Wayne Schimmelbusch, Wayne Henwood and Emmett Dunne – so it's a jury by peers. They understand, they played the game.
"But the way the rule's constructed, there probably wasn't much room for them to do anything other than what they did.
"And again those are the things that will probably be argued tomorrow night, so we should let that process take its course."
