Williams' sentence 'not linked to footy'
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says Marley Williams' 12-month suspended sentence is unrelated to incidents that occur on the football field after the defender was reported yesterday for striking.
Williams was playing his sixth match for the Magpies since he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm for a one-punch assault outside an Albany nightclub in 2012. WA District Court Justice Julie Wager granted him a chance for redemption when she sentenced him in April and gave him 12 months jail, suspended for a year.
He has been in good form for Collingwood since returning to the AFL side but was reported for striking Western Bulldog youngster Nathan Hrovat during a scuffle after the quarter-time siren at Etihad Stadium.
Buckley was adamant the two incidents could not be compared.
"I think they are two separate issues," he said.
