Fyfe hottest medal favourite in a decade
Raging Brownlow Medal favourite Nat Fyfe has thrown his full support behind the revamped match review panel system after his hopes of winning the league’s highest individual honour were kept alive yesterday.
The result came with Fremantle team-mate Ryan Crowley left in limbo, with the veteran not expected to learn his fate over a positive drug test until next month despite his AFL anti-doping tribunal hearing concluding in Melbourne yesterday.
Crowley, 31, tested positive to a specified banned substance believed to have been contained in a painkiller in July last year and is facing a potential two year-ban.
He fronted a three-person tribunal yesterday made up of chairman David Jones, former judge John Nixon, and Dr Susan White. The trio chose to reserve their decision at the end of the hearing.
Fyfe will accept a $1000 fine for tripping Western Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens during the third term of Sunday’s 13-point win at Etihad Stadium.
Bookmakers reacted by reining in his Brownlow odds even further to make him the shortest priced favourite at this point of the season in at least a decade.
The Fremantle midfielder is now a paltry $2.35 with TAB following his 30 disposal, three-goal performance against the Bulldogs. Dual Brownlow winner Gary Ablett was a $3 favourite at the same time last year.
Such has been Fyfe’s dominance that he already leads the AFL Coaches’ Association award by 22 votes after just seven rounds.
The 23-year-old said he was relieved at the MRP verdict.
His offence was classed as intentional conduct and low impact to the body.
The same tripping charge under last year’s system would had resulted in a one-match ban given carryover points and a bad record loading applied to lesser offences.
However, the star still remains at some risk this year, with three low-level offences in one season drawing an automatic one-match ban under the new system.
“I’m really happy with the findings of the MRP and really happy that I can move forward and look forward to a big week for my 100th game and a big game against North Melbourne on Saturday night,” Fyfe told Channel 7 News last night.
“It’s never nice to be reported ... the new changes to the match review panel are really pragmatic and they’re designed specifically for cases like this.”
Fyfe stuck out his right leg and tripped Stevens after sliding on the Etihad Stadium turf.
“We’re trained so intensely to corral our opponents and not let them step around us, so it was a reflex action on the back of a slip,” he said.
A statement from the AFL last night said the decision on Crowley would be handed down “as soon as practicable”.
Crowley was represented at the hearing by senior barrister Ben Ihle, while Fremantle football manager Chris Bond also attended. The hearing was closed to the media and public.
Details of the findings will not be released unless approved by Crowley and his legal team.
Bond said Crowley would continue to train with his team-mates while he awaited the tribunal’s decision.
