{"id":728355,"date":"2026-06-10T22:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T22:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/728355\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T22:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T22:48:12","slug":"afl-news-2026-billy-frampton-ban-overturned-at-afl-tribunal-excellent-outcome-for-game-despite-neck-injury-for-brody-mihocek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/728355\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL news 2026: Billy Frampton ban overturned at AFL tribunal, excellent outcome for game despite neck injury for Brody Mihocek"},"content":{"rendered":"

Triple Grand Final umpire \u2018Razor\u2019 Ray Chamberlain says he\u2019s glad Billy Frampton is free to play this weekend, declaring the AFL Tribunal\u2019s decision to overturn the premiership Magpie\u2019s tackling ban \u2013 despite Demon Brody Mihocek\u2019s consequent scary injury<\/a> \u2013 was an \u201cexcellent outcome\u201d for the game.<\/p>\n

Collingwood on Wednesday night successfully annulled Frampton\u2019s three-game ban<\/a> for the tackle that ultimately broke the neck of ex-teammate Mihocek during the Demons\u2019 eight-point win on King\u2019s Birthday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mihocek needed to be stretchered off the MCG, but is now up and walking after initial fears the injury could\u2019ve been more severe.<\/p>\n

The Match Review Officer graded Frampton\u2019s tackle as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact, which led to the initial three-week ban.<\/p>\n

The Magpies on Wednesday night argued Frampton\u2019s act was an unfortunate football accident, rather than a careless action \u2013 a claim the Tribunal agreed with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an excellent outcome. I\u2019m thrilled to see this is where it\u2019s landed for Billy, but for the game as well,\u201d Chamberlain told Fox Footy\u2019s AFL 360 minutes after the Tribunal\u2019s verdict dropped.<\/p>\n

Swann: “You have to grade it severe” | 02:23<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all witnessed the incident and we\u2019ve felt for both fellows. I felt quite ill watching Brody on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe (Mihocek) just slips and that puts him in a position that\u2019s unnatural and unintended. I feel like Billy\u2019s done everything he possibly can in terms of the tackle \u2026 it\u2019s not excessive force, it\u2019s not excessive rotation, he doesn\u2019t pick him up and dump him and he\u2019s not responsible, I don\u2019t believe, for Brody\u2019s head being placed in a vulnerable position.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I don\u2019t think he\u2019s culpable for what ultimately transpired. I think it\u2019s just a horrible accident that\u2019s comes about due to an array of circumstances that are outside of anyone\u2019s control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frampton spoke at length during the hearing, saying he \u201cfelt horrific\u201d after the tackle but insisted \u201cI don\u2019t know what else I could\u2019ve done\u201d in the circumstances.<\/p>\n

AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley listened to Frampton and said the Magpie\u2019s evidence was \u201ccompelling, realistic and heartfelt\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is usually the only way to succeed at the tribunal to be completely forthright and absolutely accurate,\u201d Whateley told AFL 360.<\/p>\n

Frampton cops big ban for Mihocek tackle | 01:55<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that Frampton says marries up with the vision and then right at the end you have you to decide whether Mihocek\u2019s choice to drive out the front of the tackle tipped them or whether Frampton tips them into the ground \u2013 and that\u2019s the flex point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melbourne legend Garry Lyon said Frampton had put forward a \u201cpretty impressive case\u201d, adding there was little he could control during the tackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when Brody had his head down, you look at even his legs when he\u2019s on the ground and it\u2019s a solid extension of that, so that to me suggests he was trying to drive through and then Billy loses a bit of control,\u201d Lyon told AFL 360.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the reasonable expectation that Billy can identify in that split-second \u2018there\u2019s danger here and I (should) let go of the tackle\u2019? I suggest not.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like when Brody slipped, he then thought: \u2018I\u2019ve got to try and get through this.\u2019 I\u2019m not sure if he realised how vulnerable the position he was in \u2026 but I thought he was trying to drive his way through it. I don\u2019t think Billy realised either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mihocek in trouble from dangerous tackle | 00:26<\/p>\n

Whateley added: \u201cI see it the same way as you do. Nobody meant to be in the position they were in. Mihocek certainly didn\u2019t mean to be down there with his head low then his competitive instinct kicks in to forge his way through.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrampton said he \u2018approaches cautiously\u2019, he reaches over the top so he doesn\u2019t make high contact and he doesn\u2019t go front-on \u2013 he does everything right. I just think the momentum turns them all over.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a lot to ask Billy to be answerable for, but he has absolutely answered the questions that were put to him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Triple Grand Final umpire \u2018Razor\u2019 Ray Chamberlain says he\u2019s glad Billy Frampton is free to play this weekend,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,689,55,639,3423,10133,352718,352715,350230,350750,352714,10145,61,2105,6278,352713,352720,647,7804,7198,79834,677,60969,85,352717,352719,352716,660],"class_list":["post-728355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-ben-waterworth","tag-collingwood-magpies","tag-competitive-instinct-kicks","tag-consequent-scary-injury","tag-dangerous-tackling-action","tag-eight-point-win","tag-felt-horrific","tag-garry-lyon","tag-gerard-whateley","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-greg-swann","tag-horrible-accident","tag-initial-three-week-ban","tag-melbourne","tag-melbourne-demons","tag-michael-willson","tag-neck-injury","tag-oceania","tag-ray-chamberlain","tag-sports","tag-three-game-ban","tag-trickiest-tribunal-case","tag-unfortunate-football-accident","tag-victoria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}