From the Weekly Times
FORMER St Kilda serial pest Steven Baker faces a life ban from any form of football if a six-week suspension is upheld. He will front the AFL Victorian Country appeals board on Thursday night. The Sorrento Football Club and Baker will look to reduce or overturn the career-ending sanction after officially lodging an appeal for the suspension he received after an incident that left Red Hill player Blake Thompson with a broken jaw on March 9.
"The case is open and will go to the AFL Victoria Country appeals board," Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League chief executive Jeff Jones said.
The appeal has been passed on to AFL Victoria Country and Baker is required to attend, according to documents released to the MPNFL.
"From our perspective the decision handed down by the individual tribunal board still stands and the decision lies with the AFL Victorian Country appeals board," Jones said.
The AFL tagger faces a life ban because his recent suspension takes him beyond a nationwide 16-week career limit.
During his controversial 203-game career at the Saints, he was suspended for a total of 28 weeks, but that total is halved at amateur level, placing him on 14 weeks when he joined Sorrento.
Baker needs the suspension to be overturned or lowered to two weeks at the appeal, to be held at the Frankston Dolphins clubrooms, if he is to play again.
