Gold Coast has been successful in overturning the one-game ban against Bodhi Uwland after the Tribunal dismissed the sanction, meaning he will be available for the clash with West Coast on Saturday.
Uwland was offered a one-match suspension from the Match Review Officer (MRO) for rough conduct on Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale during Saturday's QClash at People First Stadium.
The MRO graded the incident as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, constituting a one-week layoff.
Bodhi Uwland has been offered a one-match ban for this incident involving Lachie Neale. pic.twitter.com/ULvnJr843H
— AFL (@AFL) July 28, 2024
The umpire penalised Neale for illegally disposing the ball.
The two-time Brownlow medallist didn't require immediate treatment and has not missed any training and is in line to play.
Gold Coast counsel Adrian Anderson argued the charge on three counts:
- Not rough conduct because it was not likely to cause injury
- Not rough conduct because tackle wasn't unreasonable in circumstances
- Alternative submission if he is found guilty of rough conduct that the impact be low, not medium
Uwland gave evidence, saying: "Neale evaded two of my teammates and stepped into me in a front-on position."
The Suns defender noted that Neale drove away from the tackle, pulling him backward rather than Uwland being the driving force in the tackle.
Uwland maintained he attempted to bring Neale to his side rather than directly to the ground.
Anderson (GC) also leaned on examples involving Toby Greene (against Mac Andrew in Round 5) as well as Connor Budarick (against Callan Ward in Round 19) as cases where players were driven to the ground with force but not cited by the MRO.
Andrew Woods (AFL) suggested that Uwland was putting Neale at "significant risk", by using his legs to drive the tackle forward.
The Tribunal found that Uwland attempted to rotate Neale in the tackle and that his loss of footing on the ground was unlikely to cause forceful momentum and subsequent head contact with the ground.
Uwland remains eligible for the 2024 NAB Rising Star following his Round 12 nomination and is available to play in Round 21.
