North Melbourne midfielder Jy Simpkin has been handed an official warning by the AFL, after he called the league and the MRO “laughable” on Instagram on Tuesday.
The former Roos skipper’s criticism came following the tribunal’s decision to uphold teammate Paul Curtis’ three-game suspension for a tackle that concussed West Coast’s Hamish Davis.
Jy Simpkin of North Melbourne. Getty
The tribunal ultimately agreed with MRO Michael Christian’s verdict, despite widespread criticism of the initial ban.
Clearly frustrated by the situation, Simpkin took to Instagram to vent his frustration in posts that have since been deleted.
Simpkin posted previous examples of a tackle resulting in a concussion, including Mabior Chol on Tom Stewart earlier in the season, saying “ball carrier gets concussed, tackler gets off with no suspension”.
He then compared it to the Curtis decision, adding: “Ball carrier gets concussed, tackler gets a 3 week suspension.”
His final Instagram story added: “The AFL needs to get it together, the constant rule changes and the MRO is laughable. Players don’t know what they can and can’t do anymore. Just hope for the best each week”.
The Roos confirmed on Wednesday that they would not take the decision to the AFL’s appeals board.
Ultimately, Curtis will miss the Roos’ next three games against Richmond, Essendon and Port Adelaide.
Former North Melbourne president James Brayshaw was vocal in his frustration with the verdict on Wednesday, calling it “not a suspendible offence”, adding that continuing with these kinds of bans will “stuff the game”.
It’s been a busy day for the AFL on that front, handing Gold Coast a $20,000 fine for a fifth instance of a player making careless contact with an umpire.
Star defender Daniel Rioli ran into an umpire during his side’s loss to Geelong last Friday night.