Carlton defender Jordan Boyd will be free to play against GWS on Saturday after his one-match suspension was downgraded to a fine, with the Tribunal reclassifying the impact component from "medium" to "low".
Boyd and the Blues challenged the ban that saw the Match Review Officer (MRO) cite "forceful front-on contact" against Richmond forward Rhyan Mansell during Sunday's clash at the MCG.
It was initially graded as "careless conduct, medium impact and high contact", constituting a one-game suspension. Mansell was awarded a free kick and played the remainder of the match, with no discernible injury coming from the contest a medical report showed.
Jordan Boyd has received a one-game suspension for this incident involving Rhyan Mansell.
Full Match Review findings: https://t.co/NQsLTLeOHv pic.twitter.com/tTzQcZ2SvO
— AFL (@AFL) July 1, 2024
Carlton challenged the charge on three levels.
The first being that Boyd's contest with Mansell was not a reportable offence given that the Blues defender didn't bump. Carlton says it was the Tiger forward who ducked and initiated contact.
The second was that the conduct from Boyd was not "careless" and the third was that the impact was "below low", questioning the "medium impact" grading from the MRO.
Richmond's medical report indicated Mansell was "fine" after he was assessed.
Carlton representative Peter O'Farrell used examples between Lachie Hunter and Connor Rozee as well as earlier this season in Round 5 when Matt Crouch and Jack Carroll collided, indicating clear distress in players Rozee and Carroll following the contact.
O'Farrell (Carlton representative) made note of Mansell knowing where Boyd was and the fact that he "initiated contact... for some unknown reason", suggesting he appealed for a free kick by lowering his head, which is different to the Carroll and Rozee cases.
AFL counsel Sam Bird argued that Mansell is "tracking the ball, he has his head over the ball, bends down to pick up the ball and is approached" by Boyd in a "forceful" manner.
"Boyd was always going to be second to the ball and should've reasonably considered he was never going to gain possession of the ball,” Bird said.
“We see Boyd jogging initially and then accelerating to the point of contact.”
The Tribunal found that Boyd attempted to decelerate before meeting with Mansell, resulting in reducing the "medium impact" component of the charge to "low", ultimately dismissing the one-game suspension.
The 25-year-old will line up for the Blues on Saturday when they travel to Engie Stadium to take on the Giants.
