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His strong friction also caused Rankin's head to hit the ground hard.
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“Although Houston’s feet did not leave the ground and he appeared to have tried to lower his body, the time he had to decide not to collide, Rankin’s weakness and the speed and force of his impact lead us to conclude that this was a serious breach of duty of care.
“Although Rankin was expected to be fouled, he could not reasonably have expected to be struck.”
The Appeal Panel has overturned three-match bans imposed on Brisbane Lions' Charlie Cameron and Greater Western Sydney's Toby Bedford last month for violent conduct.
Tohi calls time
Andrew Wu
Geelong veteran Zak Tuohy has announced he will retire at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on one of the most celebrated careers of the 21st century.
Retired cat Zack Tuohy.credit: Getty Images
Tuohy may not have won the individual awards of modern-day greats, but he leaves the competition as one of the best overseas-born players to have played in the AFL.
He will play in the Cats' final series of games before saying goodbye to the game alongside club great Tom Hawkins, who announced earlier this month that he will retire at the end of the year.
Hailing from Portlaoise in Ireland, where he played Gaelic football, Tuohy is one of only three players from his country to have won the tournament, along with former Sydney defender Tadhg Kennelly and Cats teammate Mark O'Connor.
With the exception of Melbourne great Jimmy Staines, who won the Brownlow Medal in 1991, Tuohy is undoubtedly the best footballer in the League of Ireland.
At 286 games, he is just one away from breaking Peter Bell's record for the most games played by a player born outside Australia. He will leave as the All-Ireland record holder.
A quick defender with a strong right foot, Tuohy began his career at Carlton, where he played 120 games from 2011 to 2016 before being traded to Geelong.
As a Cat, he flourished under Chris Scott, finishing third in the club's best and fairest in his first year at the club in 2017, and was a regular in the basketball at a time when Geelong were always title contenders.
“While there are still a lot of football games left this year, I want to take this opportunity to thank all the members and fans for their support. I knew when I came to CATS that I was going to have a lot of fun, and I didn’t think I fully appreciated how amazing the journey would be,” said Tuohy.
Magpies conduct 'deep' review, chase marks ahead
John Peric
Collingwood coach Craig McRae says the Magpies will complete a deep review of a season gone wrong and has indicated the Magpies will be chasing the star forward during the trade period.
Much to ponder: Magpies coach Craig McRae.credit: AFL photos via Getty Images
Striker Daniel McStay will be rested for Friday night's match against Melbourne, which is certain to be the Magpies' last game of the season unless some small miracle happens and they narrowly qualify for the finals.
The Magpies are in tenth place, with four points and well outside the top eight.
The Magpies followed in the footsteps of the Cats in 2022 in failing to reach the finals a year after winning the tournament, prompting a review of what could have been done better. They have already made moves off the pitch, led by director of football Graham Wright – who was on leave – and is now leaving the club.
“I’ve thought about it at times throughout the season,” McRae said Wednesday, “but we’ll definitely get a chance next week to really dive into what went well and what other opportunities we have to continue to grow.”
He said the review would be multi-faceted.
“I think we're winning at a lot of levels. Are we winning at every level? It's hard to say. I don't think we can sit here and say we're winning, but we're doing a lot right,” McRae said.
McRae also seeks feedback from his own mentor, former Ironman champion Trevor Hendy, now a life coach, educator and author.
Roster management will also be an issue, with the Magpies potentially having 11 players on their roster over the age of 30 in 2025, including club great Scott Pendlebury, who has signed a one-year contract extension.
“What we have is a lot of experience… you can’t buy that. You have experience for young players. Ed Allen is a developing midfielder, he has Bendles alongside him. You have Nick Daicos who is coached by Bendles and Steele. [Sidebottom] And 'crunchy' [Jack Crisp]These guys.
“Experience is a great thing in some parts of the game, and it feels like you're losing, right? That's the reality of our game. But we're sticking with our experience for now.”
Speaking about the October exchange period, McRae said: “The Magpies were interested in any player we thought could make us better.”
Although he joked that he wanted a main striker, an inside midfielder, a defender and wingers, it was the main striker that resonated in McRae's response.
We have Dan [McStay] And 'checkers' [Brody Mihocek] Those who are great at what they do, most teams will crave for them. [Charlie] Corno or [Harry] “Is it possible for Mackay to be in the attacking line? There aren't many players who have that talent. They're hard to find.”
Wright, who spent much of the year in Europe but remained an advisor to the club, was missing, McRae said.
“I think we missed him a lot, just me personally… I missed his friendship,” McRae said, adding that Brendon Bolton and Justin Lipsch took on “two or three jobs.”
Asked if the extra administrative costs had affected the team, McRae replied: “Those are things we will think about.”
Police investigate Adelaide's Crouch over clash with Port fan
Australian People's Party
Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch is being investigated by police over his clash with a Port Adelaide fan as the bitter fallout from last weekend's clash continues.
Matt Crouch leaves the pitch after losing the clash to Port.credit: AFL Pictures
Crouch lifts the hat off a Port fan as he leaves Adelaide Oval after Saturday's fiery clash between the South Australian rivals.
A Power fan, who was leaning over the fence and shouting insults at the Cruz players as they left the stadium, reported the incident to police.
“It's something I can't comment on, there's an investigation going on at the moment, but Matt has our full support,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nix told reporters on Wednesday.
South African police confirmed they had opened an investigation following a complaint from a Port fan.
Crouch's incident comes after Port defender Dan Houston was banned for five matches for a collision with Adelaide's Isaac Rankin in the Power's win.
Port's mascot was hit on the head by a young Crows fan before the game, leaving him with a nosebleed. No action was taken because the Adelaide fan was a minor.
Powerful striker Willy Rioli was also subjected to racist abuse online after the match in an act condemned by both clubs.
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Crouch was involved in several on-field altercations with Port Adelaide players during the match.
Following the incident, footage showed a Port fan leaning over the fence and abusing the Cruze players as they exited the players' race.
Crouch didn't stop walking, and he took the cover off the fan head.
“It's tough … the reason we, I think, allow fans to get close to the border line is because these kids love football,” Nix said.
“They have idols and they have heroes and they want to come down and join them. [take] “The portraits are a really positive part of our game that we love.”
Asked if a red line had been crossed, Nix replied: “It's just passion for the sport. It's been a big week, a big showdown.
“When the adrenaline is flowing and emotions are running high, we can sometimes go over the top and that can happen to anyone. Yes, some might argue that it happened a little bit that night.”
Heppell will play for the Bombers for the last time.
Peter Ryan
Veteran legend Desson Heppell will play his final game for Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday night after announcing his retirement last week.
The 32-year-old was not selected to play against the Swans last Friday night, with senior coach Brad Scott insisting the midfielder wants to be selected on merit as the Bombers continue to compete for the finals.
Scott said the match committee did not rank Heppell among its best 23 players.
Essendon player Dyson Heppell did not get a chance to say goodbye in front of the club's fans.credit: AFL Pictures
The decision caused some controversy, with club great Matthew Lloyd saying he would have liked to see Heppell play in front of the Victoria fans one last time, as he believed his presence would have given the team a morale boost.
Heppell played 252 games, captained the Bombers, was an All-Australian and won the best and fairest award in a career that was cut short in 2016 when he was one of 34 players banned for a year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport amid the Essendon drugs scandal.
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Heppell was respected throughout the competition for his skill and loyalty to the Bombers during a difficult period when he was at the peak of his career.
English out of Giants clash
Australian People's Party
Recently re-signed Tim English will miss the Western Bulldogs' final round decider with GWS due to an ankle injury.
English missed last week's thumping win over North Melbourne, with resurgent big man Rory Lobb impressing in his absence after another positional change.
The 27-year-old did not train at Whitten Oval on Wednesday, and Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge ruled English out of the clash with the New York Giants.
“He’s close,” Beveridge said of English, who last week turned his back on free agency to remain with the Dawgs through the end of 2029. “Hopefully he gets a chance.” [to return] “We're looking forward to winning this weekend, but we don't expect him to be available this week.”
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