Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton has come under strident criticism for repeatedly pinching Essendons Orazio Fantasia, with Kane Cornes describing the behaviour as cowardly and saying a fine for misconduct wont be sufficient.
The Hawks are awaiting a verdict from the AFL match review officer after Stratton employed the bizarre and unusual tactic against Fantasia at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, leaving his Essendon opponents upper left arm covered in bruises.
Essendon forward Fantasia did not retaliate, but he also didnt let the Hawthorn defender off the hook during a post-match interview.
But Cornes, a former Port Adelaide veteran and tagger, was scathing in his criticism on Saturday and said Stratton should be stripped of the captaincy for one match.
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If Hawthorn are serious, is there a club sanction that needs to be handed down if the AFL dont act on this, Cornes said on SEN radio.
Stripping him of the captaincy for a week is about right for this. It was one of the more cowardly things Ive seen. I think Hawthorn need to make a stand that this isnt the club that they stand for.
Pinching an opponent behind the play repeatedly when he cant do anything back. He cant retaliate. Theres nothing he can do. He told the umpire. What more can he do and it continued on.
The issue was raised with the umpires at quarter-time on Friday night. In a modern-day comparison, Fremantle stopper Ryan Crowley was fined $1200 for pinching Kangaroos champion Brent Harvey in 2013.
Speaking to Channel Seven after Essendons 19-point win over the Hawks, Fantasia said: “Ive got a couple of bruises on the arm, Stratts loves to pinch.
“Hes a really good defender, so to come back and play on him I knew I was in for a tough night.
“You cant do anything about it … hes got all the tricks in the book.”
Hawthorn premiership captain and coach David Parkin thought Stratton's actions were ridiculous in this day and age however he conceded his attitude might have been different when he was coaching and doing everything to win a game.
"I can understand why the interest and the discussion … here's a club that has such a great culture and great values but has a leader do something [which] we're trying to understand [why]," Parkin said.
Parkin praised Fantasia for his response post-game when asked about the pinching.
"The interview with the player who was on theRead More – Source
Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton has come under strident criticism for repeatedly pinching Essendons Orazio Fantasia, with Kane Cornes describing the behaviour as cowardly and saying a fine for misconduct wont be sufficient.
The Hawks are awaiting a verdict from the AFL match review officer after Stratton employed the bizarre and unusual tactic against Fantasia at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, leaving his Essendon opponents upper left arm covered in bruises.
Essendon forward Fantasia did not retaliate, but he also didnt let the Hawthorn defender off the hook during a post-match interview.
But Cornes, a former Port Adelaide veteran and tagger, was scathing in his criticism on Saturday and said Stratton should be stripped of the captaincy for one match.
Advertisement
If Hawthorn are serious, is there a club sanction that needs to be handed down if the AFL dont act on this, Cornes said on SEN radio.
Stripping him of the captaincy for a week is about right for this. It was one of the more cowardly things Ive seen. I think Hawthorn need to make a stand that this isnt the club that they stand for.
Pinching an opponent behind the play repeatedly when he cant do anything back. He cant retaliate. Theres nothing he can do. He told the umpire. What more can he do and it continued on.
The issue was raised with the umpires at quarter-time on Friday night. In a modern-day comparison, Fremantle stopper Ryan Crowley was fined $1200 for pinching Kangaroos champion Brent Harvey in 2013.
Speaking to Channel Seven after Essendons 19-point win over the Hawks, Fantasia said: “Ive got a couple of bruises on the arm, Stratts loves to pinch.
“Hes a really good defender, so to come back and play on him I knew I was in for a tough night.
“You cant do anything about it … hes got all the tricks in the book.”
Hawthorn premiership captain and coach David Parkin thought Stratton's actions were ridiculous in this day and age however he conceded his attitude might have been different when he was coaching and doing everything to win a game.
"I can understand why the interest and the discussion … here's a club that has such a great culture and great values but has a leader do something [which] we're trying to understand [why]," Parkin said.
Parkin praised Fantasia for his response post-game when asked about the pinching.
"The interview with the player who was on theRead More – Source
