Essendon coach Brad Scott believes Patrick Dangerfield deserved to beat his rough-conduct charge, even though it meant the Geelong superstar would face the Bombers.
Dangerfield won his challenge to a one-game suspension at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night after being cited for a tackle on Carlton star Sam Walsh.
His availability is crucial for Geelong, who have lost six of their past seven games and will be without veteran forward Tom Hawkins against the Bombers at the MCG on Saturday night.
“I watched it (Dangerfield’s tackle) live and thought he didn’t have a case to answer in the first place,” Scott said on Wednesday.
“I tried to avoid the range of emotions – ‘he’s in, he’s out’ – just planned for him to be in and forgot about it until it was confirmed.”
Scott warned the AFL not to expect too much of players when cracking down on dangerous tackles.
“The expectation that AFL prosecutors put on (that) you’ve got to release an arm I think is realistic,” he said.
“When a player who’s got his arm pinned doesn’t get slammed into the ground, or if he does there’s a suspension that follows, that bit is really clear.
“There’s a little bit of a challenge for players in between that, but I thought ‘Danger’ exercised the duty of care and tried to hold Walsh up.
“To expect players to pull them back, not let their head hit the ground, but release an arm at the same time and hold with one arm … there’s a lot of expectation on players, and I thought ‘Danger’ explained it pretty well.”
Essendon (9-1-4) are flying in third spot on the ladder and have a genuine opportunity to break a hoodoo against the Cats.
Geelong have won 12 of their past 14 matches against the Bombers, who last triumphed back in 2018.
Meanwhile, Tom Hawkins has sustained an atypical mid foot joint and ligament injury to his left foot.
Hawkins left the field in the third quarter of last Friday night’s match against Carlton at the MCG.
Following scans, consultation with specialists and the Club’s medical team, Hawkins is aiming to return to play in six to eight weeks.
“Tom has already been in the club today and commenced his off-foot training, he’ll remain in a boot for the next couple of weeks before progressing based on clinical signs,” general manager of football Andrew Mackie said.
“Tom is in a positive and optimistic mindset and we are confident he will give himself the best chance to have an impact later in the season.”
