Cornes requires McKay taking part in ban after head knock controversy, Mitchell maintaining lid on red-hot Hawks
Former nice and controversial media pundit Kane Cornes has slammed the AFL for permitting Harry McKay to play for Carlton on Friday night time, after the Blues ahead was on the centre of a head knock controversy in the course of the week.
McKay was dazed after clashing heads with North Melbourne’s Eddie Ford in the course of the third quarter of the Blues’ Spherical 19 win, with the membership coming in for criticism after permitting him to stay on-field for a number of minutes after the incident.
The Blues had been cautioned by the AFL consequently, although their rationalization that membership docs had been occupied treating injured teammates Blake Acres and Sam Durdin was deemed enough for them to keep away from a sanction.
McKay handed his concussion check and resumed taking part in within the ultimate quarter of the match, and has subsequently been cleared to face Port Adelaide in a crunch conflict on Friday night time.
Nevertheless, writing in The Age, Cornes believes the AFL’s approval of the Blues ahead’s availability is ‘complicated at greatest and utterly hypocritical and harmful at worst’.
“The truth that McKay has been cleared to play this week, regardless of such seen indicators of a head damage, underscores a stunning inconsistency within the AFL’s concussion pointers,” Cornes wrote.
“His [McKay’s] dazed look following the pinnacle conflict ought to have triggered quick and stringent concussion protocols, stopping him from returning to the sector and definitely ruling him out this week.”
Cornes pointed to a pair of incidents in recent times of the league overruling membership docs and banning gamers from taking part in as proof of the league’s selectiveness in intervening on concussion issues.
The AFL stepped in to bar Adelaide captain Chelsea Randall for enjoying within the Crows’ AFLW semi-final in 2022, ruling that she wanted to enter concussion protocols regardless of membership docs clearing her.
An analogous incident occurred within the males’s competitors in 2021, when Tom Doedee was compelled to overlook every week regardless of the Crows claiming the defender had been subbed out of a match as a consequence of a physique knock, and had been cleared of concussion.
“On the time, I believed the AFL was setting a harmful precedent in ruling gamers out excessive of membership docs… but when that’s the place the league takes, it have to be utilized constantly,” Cornes wrote.
“Why is the league apparently selective in its potential to override membership docs?
“The AFL’s dealing with of McKay’s scenario is complicated at greatest and utterly hypocritical and harmful at worst.”
Mitchell aiming to maintain a lid on ‘Showbiz Hawks’ after week of hype
Sam Mitchell admits he’s discovering it extra of a problem to maintain his ‘Showbiz Hawks’ grounded however is assured they’ll stay centered because the AFL finals race nears its climax.
Hawthorn (10-8, eleventh) are simply concerning the hottest workforce within the league, having gained seven of their final eight video games to surge into finals competition.
They’ve stamped their credentials over the previous fortnight with a gritty win over top-four aspect Fremantle and a thrashing of reigning premiers Collingwood.
It has turned the exterior hype-o-meter as much as “fever pitch”, in Mitchell’s phrases, however the third-year coach’s eyes are firmly fastened on the duty at hand.
In-form Adelaide have gained three of their 4 video games because the bye and pose a big menace to the Hawks’ top-eight hopes at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
“We discuss ensuring that we’re very centered on the issues that matter,” Mitchell stated on Friday.
“There’s a variety of exterior noise, and extra about us this week than common, clearly.
“However we’ve been actually centered for my complete time teaching that for 36-48 hours you get to really feel good or unhealthy about your sport after which after that you just shouldn’t know whether or not you’ve gained or misplaced.
“It’s extra of a problem this week than others and I really feel just like the gamers have dealt with it effectively however solely time will inform.
“It’s very tough to get a learn earlier than the sport on how we’re going to carry out however I really feel like every little thing’s gone to plan to this point.”
Hawthorn marked out the scale of Adelaide Oval for his or her primary coaching session of the week at Waverley Park on Friday, after blended type on the venue this season.
In spherical 4, the Hawks fought again from 38 factors down however fell one kick brief in a five-point loss to Collingwood.
Six weeks later, they coughed up a 41-point lead and conceded two targets in a heart-breaking ultimate minute in a one-point defeat to Port Adelaide.
“We really feel like we’ve performed effectively there however we clearly haven’t gained,” Mitchell stated.
“Should you have a look at Adelaide, what they’ve been capable of do is rating actually shortly in durations of video games.
“We all know that we’re going to have to have the ability to play a full 4 quarters in opposition to a high quality aspect on their dwelling deck.
“The consistency of how we play at this oval specifically goes to be vital.”
Blake Hardwick has been considerably of an Adelaide Oval specialist this season and looms as a forward-line wildcard for Mitchell in opposition to the Crows.
The part-time Hawks swingman has kicked 9 of his 13 targets for the season throughout his two appearances on the South Australian venue.
The hauls of 4 in opposition to Collingwood and 5 in opposition to Port Adelaide each marked new career-best figures for Hardwick, who has not kicked greater than two majors in any of his different 163 AFL video games.
“There’s an opportunity he goes ahead and he’s definitely introduced that up with me a few instances this week,” Mitchell stated.
“However I’m not going to offer you an excessive amount of perception into that simply but.”
Hawthorn captain James Sicily will play his one hundred and fiftieth sport within the conflict with Adelaide, a milestone Mitchell hopes to mark with one other vital victory.
(AAP)
