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Melbourne’s Jack Viney sent straight to AFL tribunal after nasty throat elbow on Gold Coast’s Sam Collins

Jasper BruceNews Corp Australia
VideoDunstall on Viney: 'That is as bad a look as we could possibly have'.

Melbourne Demons star Jack Viney could miss Monday’s clash with West Coast after being sent straight to the AFL tribunal for serious misconduct.

Late in his side’s big win over the Suns, Viney drilled his elbow into the throat of Gold Coast defender Sam Collins.

The Demons vice-captain does not have the option to enter a plea and will face the tribunal over the incident, which occurred off the ball in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.

Viney’s move attracted criticism from AFL experts.

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“It’s one thing to try and dominate the opposition physically and mentally. That’s not the way to go about it, though,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said on AFL 360.

“That to me is a really bad look for the game.

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“It’ll be interesting to see how the tribunal interprets that because that is as bad a look as we could have, I think.”

Serious misconduct charges are rarely handed out, but can apply to on-field behaviour that has “the potential to cause serious injury”.

Match review officer Michael Christian last charged a player with serious misconduct in week one of the 2019 finals series, when Toby Greene pulled Marcus Bontempelli’s hair and grabbed his face off the ball. Greene was fined $7500 over the incident but avoided missing any footy.

The last time serious misconduct resulted in suspension was in June 2019 after Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton was sent straight to the tribunal for repeatedly pinching Essendon’s Orazio Fantasia and for stomping on Shaun McKernan. He was suspended for two games over the incidents.

Serious misconduct is one of nine offences that results in a player fronting the tribunal without having the option to enter a plea. Others include eye gouging, attempting to strike an umpire and spitting on another person.

A top-four finish is all but guaranteed for the Demons, who sit on 58 competition points with three games in hand.

After a modest stretch of form in the middle of the season, Simon Goodwin’s side will hope to carry the high-octane brand of footy flaunted during the win over Gold Coast into upcoming clashes with West Coast, Adelaide and Geelong.

The Demons have already flown to Perth for next Monday’s game against the Eagles to have time to complete quarantine in compliance with the Western Australian Government’s health directives.

Unless Viney escapes with a fine at the tribunal, he will not feature in the game.

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