Kangaroos to fight Harvey ban
Veteran midfielder Brent Harvey will miss Friday's preliminary final if he accepts a one-match ban set down by the AFL match review panel.
Harvey was given the penalty for rough conduct on Geelong's Joel Selwood in last Friday's semi-final.
The sanction was inflated by Harvey's poor tribunal record. But the Kangaroos have wasted little time in launching a challenge to the ban. North Melbourne announced they will take the case to the tribunal.
Harvey returned from a three-game AFL ban for Friday night’s knockout semi-final at the MCG against Geelong, which the Kangaroos won by six points.
While North have advanced to a preliminary final at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on Friday, Harvey will be sidelined.
Geelong’s skipper was forced to leave field for medical attention and had stitches inserted in a wound above his right eye after Harvey jumped into his opponent to bump him during the second quarter of Friday night’s game.
Harvey said he was watching the AFL coverage on Saturday night and a commentator said: “Brent Harvey is the big news.”
“You just put your head on the pillow and it’s running fresh through your mind,” Harvey told Seven’s AFL Game Day on Sunday.
“Just the preparation. It would be good if it was over and done with by now but that’s footy.”
Harvey’s fellow panellist and Essendon star Brendon Goddard says the AFL can improve the way the match-review panel operates.
“When there’s only two games on the week, the AFL could do a lot more in this instance as well and going into the future,” Goddard said.
“It’s a matter about getting it done for Boomer’s (Harvey’s) sake.
“They played Friday night, they could go to work yesterday and have it done in an hour.
“They know what their decision will probably be.
“They’re sitting there watching it, so there’s no reason they can’t have a conclusion come the end of the weekend.”
North’s joint vice-captain Drew Petrie denied he was fearful Harvey could be suspended.
“I’m not, no. I look at that and I think was it malicious? No,“ Petrie told Nine’s The Sunday Footy Show.
“Was it a nasty act? No. Does it happen a thousand times a game? Yes.
“It was an accidental head clash.
“His shoulder was in.
“For Boomer to cop a week for that, come on.”