Richmond co-vice-captains Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance have both been cleared by the AFL's Match Review Panel and are free to face Carlton on Sunday.
Separate incidents involving the pair in Saturday's loss to Sydney were assessed and cleared by the MRP and no further action will be taken.
In other Richmond-related MRP news, Sydney pair Zak Jones (one-match) and Lance Franklin ($1000) have been charged for incidents involving Dan Butler and Connor Menadue, respectively, during Saturday's game.
Carlton's Dale Thomas was also cleared by the MRP and will be available for the Blues when the Tigers host them at the MCG this Sunday.
Incidents assessed:
Contact between Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt and the Sydney Swans’ Luke Parker from the second quarter of Saturday’s match was reviewed. It was the view of the panel there was insufficient force in the contact for a charge to be laid. No further action was taken.
Contact between Richmond’s Alex Rance and the Sydney Swans’ Lance Franklin from the second quarter of Saturday’s game was assessed. The ball went over the boundary line and the two players came together. Rance pushed Franklin in the upper chest and Franklin pushed the Richmond player back to the upper chest. Rance went to ground and a free kick was paid at the time to the Richmond player. It was the view of the panel, as per the MRP’s guidelines, that any exaggeration of the contact that was made to Rance was not excessive. No further action was taken.
Contact between Carlton’s Dale Thomas and the Gold Coast Suns’ Adam Saad from the second quarter of Saturday’s match was reviewed. The panel said the ball was loose between the players, with the pair coming from opposite directions. Thomas had his hands down to pick up the ball but did not collect it. As the Carlton player over-runs the ball, he turns away from the approaching Saad and contact was made to his opponent. It was the view of the panel that Thomas did not elect to bump and the incident was not reportable in the circumstances. No further action was taken.
Charges Laid:
Lance Franklin, Sydney Swans, has been charged with engaging in rough conduct against Connor Menadue, Richmond, during the second quarter of the Round 13 match between the Sydney Swans and Richmond, played at the MCG on Saturday June 17, 2017.
In summary, he can accept a $1000 sanction with an early plea.
Based on the available video evidence and a medical report from the Richmond Football Club, the incident was assessed as careless conduct with low impact to the head. The incident was classified as a $1500 sanction. The player has no applicable record which impacts the penalty. An early plea enables the player to accept a $1000 sanction.
Zak Jones, Sydney Swans, has been charged with striking Dan Butler, Richmond, during the third quarter of the Round 13 match between the Sydney Swans and Richmond, played at the MCG on Saturday June 17, 2017.
In summary, he can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.
Based on the available video evidence and a medical report from the Richmond Football Club, the incident was assessed as intentional conduct with low impact to the head. The incident was classified as a two-match sanction. The player has no applicable record which impacts the penalty. An early plea enables the player to accept a one-match sanction.
