North Melbourne’s Paul Curtis had a bit of a tough time recently. He tried to get his three-game ban overturned at the tribunal, but unfortunately, he wasn’t successful. The tribunal, including Jeff Gleeson, Paul Williams, and David Neitz, upheld the initial decision that Curtis’s tackle on Josh Sinn from Port Adelaide was not really up to scratch.
In the game against Port Adelaide last Saturday, Curtis tackled Sinn in a way that left him concussed after his head hit the ground. AFL counsel Sally Flynn was pretty convinced that the tackle was a bit out of line, mainly because Sinn didn’t really have much of a chance to defend himself. She argued that the impact of the tackle was pretty severe and that Curtis should have been more careful.
On the other hand, Curtis’s counsel, Justin Graham KC, tried to defend his client by saying that the tackle wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Graham mentioned that Curtis stopped and dropped his weight, trying to avoid causing any harm. He emphasized that there was no intention to harm Sinn and that the impact of the tackle was not as severe as it was made out to be.
After about 30 minutes of deliberation, the tribunal came to a decision. They felt that Curtis could have done more to prevent the injury to Sinn and that his tackle was indeed dangerous. As a result, Curtis will have to sit out for three games, missing matches against Essendon, Brisbane, and Richmond.
This setback is a blow to North Melbourne, especially considering their current position in the league. With only one win so far, losing a key player like Curtis for three games is not ideal. The team will have to regroup and come up with a plan to fill the gap left by Curtis’s absence.
Overall, it’s a tough situation for both Curtis and North Melbourne. Hopefully, they can learn from this experience and come back stronger in the games to come. It’s never easy to deal with a suspension, but it’s all part of the game. Let’s see how North Melbourne bounces back from this setback and if they can turn things around in the upcoming matches.