Magpies fight to clear Frampton for Blues clash; Surgery for Cameron

Collingwood will challenge defender Billy Frampton’s one-match ban at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday.

Frampton was cited for rough conduct for an incident with North Melbourne’s Matt Whitlock in the fourth quarter of their clash on Friday night.

Frampton tackled Whitlock to ground near the goal square and the act was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact which equalled a one-match suspension.

The challenging of Frampton’s ban ahead of Saturday night’s crunch match against Carlton comes as the Magpies face the prospect of being without a recognised and seasoned key defender unless Frampton is cleared.

Collingwood have brought in mud-season pick Liam Puncher to fill the breach, in the absence of skipper Darcy Moore who is gone for the season.

Frampton has been greatly improved as a tall back and the Pies would not have a suitable opponent for Harry McKay – Puncher being much less powerful or experienced – if Frampton remains suspended.

Frampton’s tackle was ruled dangerous when Whitlock was taken from behind and dispossessed, leading a free and advantage call and goal to the Kangaroos.

The tribunal case is due to be heard on Tuesday night.

The Magpies are hopeful of regaining important defender Isaac Quaynor who has missed the past two games with an ankle/foot injury.

Cameron surgery blow: Cat out for more than a month

Peter Ryan
Geelong could be without star forward Jeremy Cameron until the end of the home-and-away season as he undergoes surgery this week to repair his injured left AC joint.

The Cats said he will miss four to six weeks recovering from the surgery meaning they will be without their leading goalkicker as they fight to claim a finals spot.

Cameron was playing in defence on Saturday when he clashed with the Giants’ Clayton Oliver as they contested a ground ball. The move was designed to kickstart his season after a patch of poor form inside 50.

He has kicked 39 goals despite still being impacted by the broken right arm he suffered in last year’s grand final.

Cats’ duo Tanner Bruhn (neck) and Jack Henry (throat) are also in doubt for Thursday night’s vital clash against St Kilda at GMHBA Stadium.

St Kilda have won three of their past four matches but have lost their past 13 matches at GMHBA Stadium and have not experienced victory at the venue since 1999.

Coaches Association calls for security step-up

Peter Ryan
The AFL Coaches Association has expressed concern about coaches being forced to mingle with the crowd while walking from the coaches box to the ground to address their players after Suns’ coach Damien Hardwick was the latest coach to have words with a spectator at Adelaide Oval.

Hardwick’s exchange at three-quarter time of Gold Coast’s loss to Adelaide was relatively innocuous with the Suns’ coach admitting he needed to “be better” than falling into the trap of responding to “peanuts” in the crowd.

The incident follows an incident during the round 13 match between Adelaide and Geelong when a Crows supporter yelled something at Cats’ coach Chris Scott which prompted the Geelong coach to stop before speaking to security.

Scott said he didn’t think coaches should be forced to walk through the crowd to get to the playing surface.

Coaches’ Association boss Alistair Nicholson said work should be done to increase the match-day safety of coaches.

“We’ve raised this issue with the AFL previously, and we continue to encourage them to work with Adelaide Oval to identify ways to increase match-day safety for all coaches, as well as other venues where coaches are required to walk through the crowd to access the playing arena,” Nicholson said.

Adelaide Oval officials put out a statement on Sunday in response to Hardwick’s interaction with a fan, which said security encouraged patrons to leave the coaches in peace when they are walking through the crowd.

“We expect everyone to play their part in creating a respectful, enjoyable game day experience at Adelaide Oval. Security reinforces these expectations with fans in this area throughout the game,” the statement said.

Coaches also walk down an aisle between fans at Marvel Stadium in Victoria with security behind and in front of them.

The AFL was contacted for comment.