Weekly Times | NARRE Warren club president Tim Allan said the Magpies will raise concerns with the league with what they saw as a “disparity” in penalties dealt to personnel involved in a melee last month.
Narre Warren coach Chris Toner and Cranbourne president Shane Baker were among those penalised in the fallout from an incident at the end of the South East league match on July 4, but no suspensions were delivered.
An investigation was launched into the incident at both clubs’ and the league board’s requests.
Six people were issued with fines at tribunal hearings this week, while a further three received reprimands only, as a result of charges brought down after the investigation.
In a statement the league said all those charged pleaded guilty to unbecoming conduct.
On Wednesday, Toner was handed a $2000 fine and a citation for breaching the coaches’ code of conduct. The league said a further citation on Toner in a 12-month period would lead to his deregistration as a coach.
Magpies player Kain Baskaya — who was a spectator for the senior game having played in the reserves on his way back from an injury — received a severe reprimand and a $750 fine.
On Tuesday, Cranbourne president Baker and players Marc Holt and Troy Tharle, and Narre Warren player Jordyn Flannery all received $500 fines.
Allan said Narre Warren lodged an intent to appeal Toner’s penalty on the basis of the “disparity in the fines that they copped”, but decided against it due to the requirements to carry an appeal through, particularly the cost.
Both clubs will appear before the league board on Wednesday night to discuss what actions both have taken since the incident, and to put a case as to why the league should not penalise them further.
Allan said it was “more than likely” the club’s concerns about the tribunal’s penalties would be raised at this meeting.
“We’re terribly disappointed at what we perceive as the disparity between the two clubs,” he said.
Allan said the club members pleaded guilty to “participating, not instigating” the melee, but had “fared worse” with the fines.
“We thought the footage would speak for itself, however the outcomes just don’t marry up with the footage,” Allan said.
When speaking of Baskaya’s penalty, Allan said with two different tribunals there was a “lack of continuity and understanding in the whole scenario from that aspect”.
Baker, the Eagles’ club president, said he went on to the ground to “get our players out” and made contact with a Narre Warren player, but he said there was “no malice in it”.
“(We’re) disappointed in the incident and everything the clubs and the league have been through in the last four weeks,” Baker said.
“Nobody likes it and it’s not a part of the game we want to highlight. It happened and we’ve just got to work towards avoiding becoming involved in those things.”
The league would not make further comment, citing its need to speak to the clubs next week.
