Brayden Maynard’s airborne smother attempt in the qualifying final saw Angus Brayshaw carted off with concussion, drew the usual battlelines and exposed footy’s many fault lines. His tribunal hearing will test our tribal loyalties, our governing body, our football media, our former champions, our understanding of the laws of the game, and our definitions of “football acts” and “duty of care”.
It’s a test case for the AFL and its new general manager of football, Laura Kane. For so long, the AFL has met these issues just short of halfway – they’ve done the sums, read which way the wind’s blowing and covered their backsides legally. Kane’s intervention was hardly “unprecedented” as has been reported, but in just her second week in the job, she acted decisively and properly.
