Essendon coach Brad Scott will request a meeting with AFL officials to review the tribunal system at the end of the season, claiming it is too difficult for clubs to appeal charges.
Scott, who made similar remarks following Peter Wright’s four-week suspension in March, renewed his call to overhaul the league’s disciplinary system after the Bombers decided not to challenge Harry Jones’ one-game suspension on Tuesday.
The coach claimed that the AFL overcorrected in its attempt to minimize the number of tribunal appeals, making the system “too punitive”.
He claimed he intended to meet with AFL football head Laura Kane at the end of the 2024 season to explain the Bombers’ worries about the scheme.
“It sounds like a criticism – it’s not a criticism – it’s just an understanding of the position clubs are in,” Scott stated.
“I believe the AFL long ago intended to discourage teams from fighting every single MRO decision, which is understandable.
“Not every case is contested on a whim, but we believe it is now too harsh to challenge.
“We could challenge (the Jones suspension) on principle, but that’s all we’d be challenging on according to the advice we’ve received.”
Essendon said on Tuesday that it will “reluctantly accept” Jones’ suspension for a reckless tackle on North Melbourne’s Zac Fisher during Sunday’s win against the Kangaroos.
No free kicks were awarded for the second-quarter incident, but Scott concluded the Bombers had no grounds to protest.
“We’re extremely disappointed.” Finally, I always talk about controlling what we can control, and I’m a coach, not a King’s Counselor or a biomechanist,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, the experts’ advice was that, given the way the regulations are worded and how the tribunal runs, there was a 0% possibility of getting the charge overturned.
“Philosophically, we believe Harry Jones’ suspension was unnecessary. I believe as a club, we will seek a review of the system at the end of the year, because we feel like we have both arms tied behind our backs.”
Scott stated that he was pursuing his cause to have the tribunal system altered without consulting with other coaches.
“I think our fans need to understand the tribunal isn’t an innocent until proven guilty system, it’s a guilty until you can prove your innocence system,” he stated.
“I haven’t consulted other coaches or the association – it’s just our club’s view. We’ve had a couple of occasions this year where we’d like to challenge, but the system… there is a strong deterrent in place to challenge MRO decisions.”
“The AFL will say, ‘well you’re entitled to challenge’, but I also have an acute understanding of how the system works, and it makes it very difficult, the way it is at the moment.”
