The Courier |AN adult water carrier from Ballan has been handed a two-match ban for an incident in an under-18 football match last month.
The Blues' Bob Fernandez pleaded and was found guilty of unbecoming conduct at an AFL Goldfields Independent Tribunal hearing in Ballarat on Tuesday night.
Ballan Football Netball Club has also been fined $500 following the hearing.
Fernandez fronted the tribunal after a spiteful Central Highlands Football League under-18 clash between the Blues and Daylesford on May 16. The game was abandoned late in the final quarter, with the Bulldogs winning by 27 points.
The hearing followed a CHFL investigation into the incident – initiated by Daylesford – which found Fernandez had a case to answer.
It was alleged by the Bulldogs that Fernandez made contact to the face of a Bulldogs player during the match.
On top of the fine, Ballan will now be required to pay for the costs associated with the investigating officer.
CHFL administrator Diane Ryan said the league is "highly satisfied with the investigation process undertaken by the investigating officer".
"It is totally unacceptable and unprofessional for players to be interfered with during a match by club members whatever their role or circumstances," Ryan said.
"The officiating umpires should be left to deal with issues that arise on the ground."
Meanwhile, Ryan has responded to an idea proposed by former Gordon footballer Matt Callanan, aimed at eliminating the desire for top teams to inflict heavy defeats on lowly opponents.
Callanan believes abolishing percentage and using a head-to-head results system to determine ladder positions in the event of a tie on points should be introduced into the CHFL and other football competitions.
"A range of ladder options have been considered in the past, including the (one) suggested from Matt, however it was very quickly identified that head-to-head results still required another separating formula as soon as there was a draw, or as is often the case multiple draws, across a year," Ryan said.
"It is for this reason that percentage has been retained as the fairest (method) for separating teams on equal points, and have to be retained across all matches."
AFL Goldfields general manager Rod Ward said a move to eliminate percentage "had merit" and encouraged further discussion on the matter throughout the region.
Callanan's push follows Gordon's thumping 429-point victory over Smythesdale in mid-May, a result he said would entice other teams to "put the foot down" and thrash lower sides.
