Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
Sport

Carlton star Patrick Cripps successfully overturns judiciary verdict, is free to play against Melbourne

Cripps is free to play the final two matches of the regular season. (Getty Images: Russell Freeman)

Carlton's finals hopes have received a huge boost after captain Patrick Cripps had his two-match suspension overturned at the AFL Tribunal Appeals Board.

Cripps was unsuccessful in overturning a rough conduct charge at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night, and his hearing at the Appeals Board on Thursday night loomed as his final hope of having his two-match suspension squashed.

The 27-year-old's airborne collision, which left Brisbane's Callum Ah Chee with concussion, was graded as careless, high impact and high contact.

Christopher Townshend QC, acting for Cripps, argued that there was a "denial of natural justice" because AFL Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson failed to give directions to the jury on Tuesday night before they retired to consider their verdict.

Townshend said Gleeson himself had created confusion by effectively stating Cripps' action was a bump.

"In the absence of even Mr Cripps being asked if he wanted to bump his opponent … the chairperson later postures, 'Can you bump and contest at the same time?'" Townshend said.

"(The jury was told to consider a) thesis that the chairperson has suggested rather than what the evidence has shown.

"A fair examination of the whole of the evidence could not support clear satisfaction that the player was doing something other than an incident where both players had eyes for the ball, and both players contested the ball, as found by the Tribunal.

"We say for the foregoing reasons the Tribunal's decision is infected by error and so unreasonable that it requires reversing."

AFL counsel Nicholas Pane said a player could contest with his eyes on the ball but still be in the action of bumping.

Chair Murray Kellam and jurors Richard Loveridge and Stephen Jurica deliberated for one hour and 45 minutes before deciding in favour of Cripps.

It means Cripps is free to play in crunch games against Melbourne and Collingwood in the final two rounds.

Currently seventh on the ladder with a 12-8 record, the Blues will need to win one of the two matches to guarantee the club's first finals spot since 2013.

If Carlton lose both matches, they will need to rely on other results in order to stay inside the top eight.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.