The contest that left Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee convicted will see Carlton captain Patrick Cripps sit out the home-and-away season on the sidelines, according to two former AFL stars.
Cripps launched at a contest with Ah Chee in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, collecting Ah Chee and leaving him dazed before he was eventually subbed out with concussion.
Blues coach Michael Voss mounted a defense for Cripps’ action when speaking after the 33-point loss.
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“I thought it was a good answer,” he said.
“The umpire probably told the story, he didn’t pay a free kick, did he? Clearly he felt the arms were out and it was evenly contested and clearly when you have not a lot of time to adjust in those circumstances, it made for a difficult contest.
“I’m sure it’s one that’ll get looked at but from what I’ve seen the arms were outstretched and it was a pretty even contest.
“There’s microseconds in it, so if we’re asking players to make microsecond decisions, I don’t know whether the game enables that, I really don’t.”
Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, dual-premiership player for North Melbourne David King said Voss’ comments undersold the football IQ of Cripps, as well as the severity of the outcome for Ah Chee.
“So we’ve got the age-old argument of are we protecting the head or not – players can make decisions in microseconds, it’s what they do,” he said.
“I don’t know if that’s a microsecond decision. He’s coming in, he’s off the ground, his shoulder is tucked, he’s ready for contact. I don’t buy that. I love Vossy and I love what he’s done with Carlton, but that’s just not right.”
Co-host Ben Dixon pointed out Cripps and the Blues could argue the star was participating in a marking contest, but King wasn’t convinced.
“Mate, come on. He’s ready for contact at least a meter-and-a-half away, Cripps,” King said.
“He knows he’s going to be late, he assesses these things for a living. He knows when he’s late.
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