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Joel Amartey’s return to the AFL is likely to be short-lived, with him and the Sydney Swans bracing for a lengthy suspension after his needless hit on Carlton’s Jordan Boyd in the dying moments of Friday night’s 16-point win.
Amartey had missed four games with a hamstring injury but recovered in time to give the Swans a badly-needed focal point in attack – but they’ll need to find another one after he put himself at the mercy of the AFL’s match review officer with a bump on Boyd that left Blues coach Michael Voss seething.
Joel Amartey of the Swans leaps for a mark against Carlton.Credit: Getty Images
With two minutes to go, and with the game safely wrapped up, Amartey lined up Boyd with a hip-and-shoulder that made heavy contact with his head.
Voss confirmed post-match that Boyd was placed under concussion protocols, ruling him out of Carlton’s clash with the Giants next weekend.
“I didn’t mean to, but I think I could be in a little bit of trouble,” Amartey said post-match.
“We’ll see what happens.”
Swans coach Dean Cox acknowledged that the 25-year-old was likely to receive a weeks-long ban.
“I’ve had a brief look at it, but that’ll be in the AFL’s hands now,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we play within the rules and this was no different. It was good to have him back. He provided a really strong focal point for our playing group. That’s what he does for our footy club.”
Voss said that Boyd, who had come into the match as a substitute for the injured Jack Silvagni (groin) at half-time, was “not doing so well” as a result of Amartey’s action.
“I’m sure that’ll get looked at, and get looked at very closely, and should be treated accordingly,” he said.
Amartey wasn’t the only Swan who may have strayed too far over the line, with a first-half incident involving Justin McInerney and Silvagni likely to also attract MRO attention, although the fact that Silvagni was cleared of any concussion – and was later taken out of the game with a muscle strain – could save him.
“One thing you want the players [to be] certainly aware of is there’s a line that you need to go to and you can’t cross it,” Cox said.
“We need to make sure that we keep reminding them of the line. And if you do cross it, there is consequence for that.
“I haven’t seen the Justin one as well as I saw the Joel one. I’ll have to go back and look at [it]. But our message to the players is get to that line, not over it.”
The Swans lost one of their own to a concussion, with utility Aaron Francis failing to see out the match after copping a thigh to the head from teammate Brodie Grundy after slipping at a marking contest.
Adam Cerra of the Blues competes with Isaac Heeney of the Swans.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Though Sydney are now 4-6 and in touch with the top half of the ladder after the important 11.12 (78) to 9.8 (62) victory, which was powered by star midfielders Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner, they cannot catch a break when it comes to player availability, be it through injury or suspension.
Heeney was awarded the Goodes-O’Loughlin medal as the best player on the field in Sydney’s annual Marn Grook game, racking up a career-high 38 possessions (18 contested), nine clearances and two goals.
Voss, meanwhile, was also fuming with the way his side’s effort petered out in the final term.
“They finished off the game better than us. I think that’s what makes you pretty pissed off, to be honest,” Voss said.
“We had the game where we wanted it and we couldn’t finish off the game … it was simple things. The clearance game was pretty tough for us for most of the night. I didn’t feel like we were losing too many metres on that, but that can bank up over time. But then roles that we had, we strayed from.
Michael O’Loughlin presents Isaac Heeney of the Swans with the Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal.Credit: Getty Images
“Heeney and Warner, we put a heap of effort into our planning and we couldn’t get it done in the second half and they got off the chain. The stats are there to tell the impact that they had.
“There was some really good method in the way we played in the early parts of the game … but you’ve got to close the deal and we weren’t good enough to close it.”
Voss held back his criticism when asked about the mistaken out-of-bounds on the full decision off Mitch McGovern that led to Heeney’s first goal.
Heeney kicked the ball into McGovern’s foot and it bounced into the turf before going out of bounds, but was called out on the full by the officiating umpire.
“Only two people in the stadium didn’t see that ball bounce,” Voss said. “It is for someone else to have an argument about [whether the ARC should be able to intervene] but only two people didn’t see the right result.
“That’s as much as I can say. I’ve probably said too much already.”
Thanks so much for joining us tonight as we covered the Swans win over Carlton at the SCG.
We will have plenty more coverage on our sports websites overnight and tomorrow while our AFL Saturday live blog will kick off early tomorrow afternoon.
Please join us then.
Bye for now.
Tanya Hosch’s decision to snub the AFL’s launch of Sir Doug Nicholls round in Darwin this week ran far deeper than the excuses offered by the game’s struggling spin doctors.
The AFL and its most senior Indigenous employee – and first to sit on the game’s executive – are negotiating her departure from the organisation after nine occasionally turbulent years. Neither Hosch nor AFL chief Andrew Dillon were prepared to publicly discuss the highly sensitive situation with this masthead but colleagues and supporters of both remain concerned the break-up could prove acrimonious.
Andrew Dillon at the launch of Sir Doug Nicholls rounds with Hawthorn’s Karl Amon, former South Fremantle champion Stephen Michael and Gold Coast’s Joel Jeffrey.Credit: AFL Photos
Rather than attend the Darwin launch at which she was scheduled to speak alongside Dillon on Tuesday, Hosch remained at home in Adelaide. She attended a Port Adelaide monthly staff lunch at Alberton on Wednesday and – significantly – posted a photograph of Willie Rioli on her Instagram.
Joel Amartey’s return to the AFL is likely to be short-lived, with him and the Sydney Swans bracing for a lengthy suspension after his needless hit on Carlton’s Jordan Boyd in the dying moments of Friday night’s 16-point win.
Amartey had missed four games with a hamstring injury but recovered in time to give the Swans a badly-needed focal point in attack – but they’ll need to find another one after he put himself at the mercy of the AFL’s match review officer with a bump on Boyd that left Blues coach Michael Voss seething.
Joel Amartey of the Swans leaps for a mark against Carlton.Credit: Getty Images
With two minutes to go, and with the game safely wrapped up, Amartey lined up Boyd with a hip-and-shoulder that made heavy contact with his head.
Voss confirmed post-match that Boyd was placed under concussion protocols, ruling him out of Carlton’s clash with the Giants next weekend.
“I didn’t mean to, but I think I could be in a little bit of trouble,” Amartey said post-match.
“We’ll see what happens.”
Swans coach Dean Cox acknowledged that the 25-year-old was likely to receive a weeks-long ban.
“I’ve had a brief look at it, but that’ll be in the AFL’s hands now,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we play within the rules and this was no different. It was good to have him back. He provided a really strong focal point for our playing group. That’s what he does for our footy club.”
Voss said that Boyd, who had come into the match as a substitute for the injured Jack Silvagni (groin) at half-time, was “not doing so well” as a result of Amartey’s action.
“I’m sure that’ll get looked at, and get looked at very closely, and should be treated accordingly,” he said.
Amartey wasn’t the only Swan who may have strayed too far over the line, with a first-half incident involving Justin McInerney and Silvagni likely to also attract MRO attention, although the fact that Silvagni was cleared of any concussion – and was later taken out of the game with a muscle strain – could save him.
“One thing you want the players [to be] certainly aware of is there’s a line that you need to go to and you can’t cross it,” Cox said.
“We need to make sure that we keep reminding them of the line. And if you do cross it, there is consequence for that.
“I haven’t seen the Justin one as well as I saw the Joel one. I’ll have to go back and look at [it]. But our message to the players is get to that line, not over it.”
The Swans lost one of their own to a concussion, with utility Aaron Francis failing to see out the match after copping a thigh to the head from teammate Brodie Grundy after slipping at a marking contest.
Adam Cerra of the Blues competes with Isaac Heeney of the Swans.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Though Sydney are now 4-6 and in touch with the top half of the ladder after the important 11.12 (78) to 9.8 (62) victory, which was powered by star midfielders Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner, they cannot catch a break when it comes to player availability, be it through injury or suspension.
Heeney was awarded the Goodes-O’Loughlin medal as the best player on the field in Sydney’s annual Marn Grook game, racking up a career-high 38 possessions (18 contested), nine clearances and two goals.
Voss, meanwhile, was also fuming with the way his side’s effort petered out in the final term.
“They finished off the game better than us. I think that’s what makes you pretty pissed off, to be honest,” Voss said.
“We had the game where we wanted it and we couldn’t finish off the game … it was simple things. The clearance game was pretty tough for us for most of the night. I didn’t feel like we were losing too many metres on that, but that can bank up over time. But then roles that we had, we strayed from.
Michael O’Loughlin presents Isaac Heeney of the Swans with the Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal.Credit: Getty Images
“Heeney and Warner, we put a heap of effort into our planning and we couldn’t get it done in the second half and they got off the chain. The stats are there to tell the impact that they had.
“There was some really good method in the way we played in the early parts of the game … but you’ve got to close the deal and we weren’t good enough to close it.”
Voss held back his criticism when asked about the mistaken out-of-bounds on the full decision off Mitch McGovern that led to Heeney’s first goal.
Heeney kicked the ball into McGovern’s foot and it bounced into the turf before going out of bounds, but was called out on the full by the officiating umpire.
“Only two people in the stadium didn’t see that ball bounce,” Voss said. “It is for someone else to have an argument about [whether the ARC should be able to intervene] but only two people didn’t see the right result.
“That’s as much as I can say. I’ve probably said too much already.”
Swans head coach Dean Cox celebrates victory with Isaac Heeney of the Swans.Credit: Getty Images
Swans coach Dean Cox called in Michael O’Loughlin to inspire his side before tonight’s clash with Carlton and the club legend did that and more.
Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney both paid tribute to O’Loughlin’s “rev up” on the club’s history, it’s Indigenous stars and the way the Bloods culture has brings them all together.
“His message was great, it was firm, it was about what he wanted the footy club to stand for and he did an amazing job,” Cox said.
Cox hopes Callum Mills and Taylor Adams could push for a return from injury next match after they played in the VFL earlier on Friday evening but he will wait and see how they look later in the week.
He will be without Aaron Francis who was subbed off with concussion while key forward Joel Amartey could be facing a suspension after a high shot on Carlton’s Jordan Boyd.
“It looks like they probably will, for Aaron to get subbed out with concussion, he’s played an important role for us and the Joel one, I’ve had a brief look at it but it will be in the AFL’s hands now,” Cox said.
“We want to make sure we play within the rules and this was no different. It was good to have Joel back and he provided a strong focal point for our playing group and we’ll see what action gets taken.”
Blues coach Michael Voss.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Blues coach Michael Voss didn’t hide his unhappiness at the late shot on Jordan Boyd from Sydney’s Joel Amartey in the final term.
Voss said Boyd, who subbed into game at half-time, would go into the concussion protocols and he didn’t disguise his frustration at the shoulder bump to the head that sent Boyd to the sidelines.
“Boydy has concussion protocols from that hit that was there,” Voss said.
“I’m sure that will get looked at and looked at closely and should get treated accordingly. Yeah.”
He added that Jack Silvagni would be assessed for a groin injury and he was cleared of concussion from his run in with Justin McInerney in the second term.
Voss held back his criticism when asked about the mistaken out-of-bounds on the full decision that led to Isaac Heeney’s first goal.
The ball bounced into the turf before going out of bounds but was called out on the full.
“Only two people in the stadium didn’t see that ball bounce,” Voss said.
“It is for someone else to have an argument about [whether the arc should be able to intervene] but only two people didn’t see the right result. That’s as much as I can say. I’ve probably said too much already.”
Braeden Campbell of the Swans breaks a tackle.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Blues coach Michael Voss is fuming with his side’s poor second half, lashing his players for not finishing off the game and taking a statement win in Sydney.
Voss said it was clear the Swans finished the stronger side and his side didn’t maintain their style of play or roles when things got tough at the finish.
“They finished off the game better than us and that’s the thing that makes you pretty pissed off,” Voss said.
“We had the game where we wanted it and we couldn’t finish off the game.
“The clearance game was difficult all night. It didn’t feel like we were losing that by a lot but it adds up over time. We had roles that was strayed from, Heeney and Warner, we put a heap of effort into them and we couldn’t get it done in the second half and they got off the chain.
“The stats tell the impact they had. We were determined to come here and do well at this venue. To have the game going largely in our favour, really good method in how we played early in the game.
“But you have to close the deal and we weren’t good enough to close it.
“Having a five or six-point margin at three-quarter time, before the game you would take that and then go for it in the final term and that was the energy in the huddle but when we came out, there was one team who could finish off the work and get the job done.”
Michael O’Loughlin presents Isaac Heeney of the Swans with the Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal.Credit: Getty Images
Swans star Isaac Heeney admits he knew his side had to win this match to keep their finals hopes in their own hands.
The win over the Blues takes the Swans up to 4-6 with Callum Mills, Tom Papley and Errol Gulden all closing in on returns in the coming weeks after injury.
“We had to work it up a little bit because that was the reality of it all [we had to win],” Heeney told Fox Footy.
“But, at the same time, Dean Cox is really good at keeping us present and amongst it and we also have a few injuries, so it has been about bringing those young fellas along and letting them learn their role and do it as long as they can.
“It’s going to be tough going but if we can build some synergy and momentum, we will do that.”
Heeney added that O’Loughlin “rev’d up” the team pregame with a pregame talk touching on the impact of Indigenous players on the Swans and the Bloods history.
“It would be nice if you’ve got a bit of footage of it, he really got us going before the game,” Heeney said.
“He touched on the history of the club, the Bloods culture and bringing everyone together and staying connected – when we are like that as a nation, it’s a pretty impressive nation.”
Isaac Heeney has won the Goodes-O’Loughlin Medal as best on ground in this annual Maarngrook game at the SCG.
Heeney had 38 disposals and two goals while he had a big hug for O’Loughlin after receiving his medal.
The Swans are loving this win, it looks like it has released a fair bit of pressure and frustration.
Former Sydney player Michael O’Loughlin pregame.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Sydney star Chad Warner was all smiles after his side’s win over Carlton and he revealed club great Michael O’Loughlin fired the team up with an unscheduled pregame pep talk.
“Mickey O is an absolute legend. He lifted us a lot. I think he just came in to give a little speech and he got a bit carried away but the boys loved it,” Warner told Fox Footy.
Warner finished with 30 possessions and two goals.
“In front of the home crowd, to win the way we did and keep in the game and not let them run over the top – it is such a relief to us,” Warner told Fox Footy.
“We’ve done the work, so we deserve it.”
