AFL boss Andrew Dillon has defended the "matrix" that is the league's tribunal system that saw both Charlie Cameron and Toby Bedford suspended for three games.
The pair were cited by the Match Review Officer (MRO) after their opponents suffered concussions and have been subsequently ruled out of action for at least 12 days.
Cameron and Bedford's suspensions were upheld at the Tribunal on Tuesday, with both Brisbane and GWS heading to the Appeals Board in the hope of a better result.
Following a meeting with the club CEOs in Perth, Dillon said he had faith in the current system, indicating that at this time last year, there was a larger sample of dangerous tackles compared to 2024.
"Our tribunal system is based on โฆ prioritising the health and safety of our players, so that's the number one, two and three priority for the system," Dillon said, according toย ABC.
"Last year we had 35 dangerous tackles graded by the MRO [match review officer] and the tribunal.
"As we sit here more than two-thirds of the way through the season, we've got โ including the two that are going to be appealed this week โ only 11 [dangerous] tackles."
However, uproar filled the social media landscape upon hearing the initial gradings of the pair of tackles and subsequent rulings.
But one pundit made a fair point, saying that almost all of the Round 18 tackles were ticked off by the MRO.
It was just 0.17 per cent that weren't.
There were 1,176 tackles in Round 18 that didnโt receive a suspension.
99.83% of tackles were totally fine.
Itโs going to be ok.#AFL
— Jonathan Walsh (@JonathanJWalsh) July 16, 2024
Dillon also made the point that players are adjusting well to the new interpretation of tackling and changes in the holding-the-ball law.
"I think the players have adapted, but sometimes you have a weekend like we've [just] had," Dillon continued.
"We review the tribunal guidelines each year, and the matrix is something we continue to look at.
"It's a system that's been in place since about 2004, so it's been in place and served the game well for a long time."
Among the main topics discussed at the CEO's conference were the competitive balance review, club funding and fixturing.
The AFL also announced that it would allocate an extra 1000 Grand Final tickets to competing club members while changes to the access of Next Generation Academy players are also set to be confirmed in August at the league's commission meeting.
