Danny's actions were stupid, though it is my belief not in the light of the full context should they be seen as surprising, or even condemned as so.
Shield's had lost control of the game, sorry scratch that - Shields never had control of the game. When players grab other players by the neck (Ante Covic) or violently shove and grab at each other (virtually everyone else) as had happened throughout the game and especially in the proceeding minutes to the incident. No one should be even remotely surprised that a young sportsman's unthinking emotional reaction in such a high pressure/high stakes situation, is to slap out at an offending hand. Wrong yes, no one is arguing this point, the debate is regarding the severity of the punishment. AND IN THIS CASE IT DOES NOT FIT THE CRIME. When a crime is committed circumstances surounding the incident or inciting it do come into consideration on the severity of the punishment. Yet despite the fact that precedents abound and that Mark Shields incompetency was the key factor in this situation arising, it seems to have had no degree of baring. The referee was in no way physically endangered at any point, nor could it be argued that Danny intended to place him in physical danger. Danny lashed out with an open hand at probably the safest area he could have possibly have slapped at apart from slapping at Mark Shields foot. This slap at a hand, is actually indicative of someone restraining themselves, not quite enough admitted to mitigate any form of redress or punishment, BUT IT SHOULD CERTAINLY BARE CONSIDERABLY ON SUCH TERMS AND CHARGES AS "VIOLENT CONDUCT"
The great truth, is that this incident would not have happened if Mark Shields was a competent referee who had not made yet another major blunder, at the most crucial of times, in the most crucial of games... AFTER HE HAD ALREADY LOST CONTROL OF THE GAME! The environment Mark Shields allowed to exist directly resulted in this incident. Mark Shields was irresponsible and negligent, and has no where near as much excuse as - a young footballer - in a grand final - after a terribly wrong decision that has massive ramifications, in fact, there can literally be no more extreme circumstance you could place a player in, unless it were to be at a world cup final instead of your national league. Shields has no such excuse in his defense, he is not young, he is not inexperienced, and he has nothing personally at stake.He is supposed to be our best ie; the MOST EXPERIENCED. However what he was, was negligent and dangerously incompetent.
When your children are starting to nip at each other, do you wait till one hits the other nip in in the bud? If you do wait, how much responsibility do you bare when the child strikes the other? If your child is obese due to no other reason than over eating, who bares the responsibility, the parent or the child? In a sporting match, a referee is their to execute the rules of the game yes, but he also has a duty of care towards those he is officiating over, and when a referee neglects this duty and allows an environment highly likely to cause a player to do something "dumb" then he has failed to meet the needs of the occasion and to protect the players from the pressures and human instincts incumbent in such situations.
Shield's incompetence enabled this incident, if it was not Danny, it could so easily have been any player from either side in those final minutes who could have done something stupid. Shields failed to protect the players from the emotions of the match and the volatility of the circumstance, and as if Australian football hasn't had to suffer enough at his hands, he now engineers yet another painful loss to Australian football.
Shame on you Mark Shields, your is the greater crime, that has a consequence far beyond a tingling palm.
As to comparations with he Griffiths incident, please! They do not even remotely compare, there was no pressure, no high stakes, no grand refereeing mistake, and NO PRECEEDING EMOTIONALLY VOLATILE ATMOSPHERE, not even the same degree of youth can be dragged forward in its defense, and he struck out a a groin, not the palm of a hand.
We have a large problem in Australian football, and it is not the emotional discipline of our young players or the "style of football" we play. AND WE ALL KNOPW WHAT IT TRULY IS!
over
