Dockers skipper avoids hefty ban in surprise tribunal end result

Fremantle captain Alex Pearce has had his three-game ban thrown out in a a success travel to the AFL tribunal.

Pearce confronted the tribunal after he amassed Darcy Byrne-Jones top in the second one quarter towards Port Adelaide.

With two mins left till half-time, Port’s Rory Atkins kicked within 50, leaving Byrne-Jones working backwards whilst Pearce was once coming the opposite direction.

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Pearce amassed him closely and Port gamers took exception with the skipper.

Byrne-Jones was once then taken from the bottom.

“Just the last split second when you take your eye off the ball you’re going to be in trouble. I think originally he was looking for the mark but then you’ve got to protect yourself and sometimes you come off second best,” Adam Simpson mentioned on Fox Footy.

Matthew Pavlich agreed Pearce’s eyes had been at the ball till overdue.

“Let’s hope he’s OK, Byrne-Jones,” he added.

At the tribunal, Pearce pleaded now not in charge, with the Dockers arguing it wasn’t careless habits.

Pearce mentioned he idea he may just take a chest mark however met the touch along with his frame to take a look at and restrict the affect on Byrne-Jones. He admitted on the ultimate break up 2nd that he braced for affect.

Counsel for the AFL argued he may just’ve slowed his momentum previous and now not left the bottom.

After deliberating, the tribunal discovered the touch was once now not tough habits, supporting Pearce’s argument that shedding his fingers was once an act to take a look at and minimise hurt. Pearce’s try to take the mark was once described as totally reasonable.

In that very same fit, Dockers teen Cooper Simpson was once subbed out of the fit within the first quarter.

He looked as if it would endure an uncongenial shoulder damage after coming off 2nd perfect from a hip and shoulder by way of Logan Evans.

After the destroy, Fremantle got here out considerably more potent.

By full-time, the Dockers had been in entrance 15.10 (100) to 7.9 (51).

“Perfect night for Fremantle except maybe the Pearce incident,” Simpson mentioned.

Murphy Reid kicked 4 objectives for Fremantle whilst Ollie Wines led the ownership rely with 33.