Carlton’s Will Hayward Fails in Striking Appeal at AFL Tribunal, Out of Gather Round Matchup.

Carlton’s season has hit another bump as Will Hayward’s appeal at the AFL tribunal was unsuccessful, leaving him sidelined for a week.

Hayward received a one-match suspension for striking North Melbourne’s George Wardlaw in the Good Friday match, leading the Blues to contest the penalty.

The 27-year-old was penalised for a swinging arm that connected with Wardlaw’s abdomen, resulting in a 50-metre free kick and drawing the ire of the match review officer.

The match review officer classified the strike as intentional with medium impact, whereas Hayward and Carlton contended that the impact should have been considered low.

Hayward maintained that his objective was to “close the space and apply pressure to the opposition to disrupt the kick”, claiming his actions were consistent with other tackles he had made.

However, AFL legal representative Sam Bird disagreed, stating to the tribunal that “there was no legitimate football purpose” for making contact in such a manner.

He pointed to Hayward’s clenched fist as indicative of intentionality behind the strike.

Despite Hayward questioning whether Wardlaw was in a vulnerable position at the time, the AFL argued that an unprepared player in such a state is at greater risk of harm compared to one who is ready for contact.

“There is no way known that a player in that situation is not expecting contact,” the Blues’ legal counsel countered.

Throughout the hearing, Carlton persistently highlighted the recent rule change regarding striking charges, which mandates that all intentional strikes will be graded a minimum of medium, arguing that this incident did not fall into that category. The AFL disagreed with their interpretation.

It is important to note that Carlton did not contest the nature of the contact as a strike.

Ultimately, the tribunal upheld the one-game suspension.

Hayward will miss the upcoming Gather Round clash against Adelaide on Thursday.

Carlton will also be without their vice-captain Jacob Weitering due to concussion.