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Matt Maguire's VFL clash scrutinised
Craig Hutchison | April 26, 2009 12:00am
AN off-the-ball incident involving St Kilda star Matt Maguire and which left a player in hospital with neck injuries has been investigated by the VFL. The burly Saint, playing for Sandringham, allegedly slung Frankston rover Clinton Proctor to the ground.
Frankston general manager Bryan Mace said Proctor's injury was a result of three "nasty incidents" that affected Frankston players.
Classy onballer Marcus Marigliani collapsed in the rooms after the game, Mace said. And Byron Barry had to be stretchered off -- also with a neck injury.
"He (Proctor) won't play for a week or two. He's got the aftermath of concussion," Mace said.
It is understood the Maguire-Proctor clash was not caught on film.
AFL Victoria football operations manager John Hook confirmed Frankston had sent a formal letter to the VFL regarding the clashes in which the three Dolphins players suffered head injuries during the game against St Kilda VFL affiliate Sandringham last weekend.
"The umpires had already assessed the incidents, and myself and Peter Schwab looked at all of them, too, and felt they weren't worth sending to the tribunal," Hook said.
Hook said Maguire's was a fair tackle.
"It was a fair tackle. The player still had the ball," he said.
"We can only go off what happened on the video, we can't judge things that may or may not have happened."
Mace asserted neither Sandringham nor St Kilda had inquired about the health of the Frankston players.
"I've been listening to the commentary coming from the Melbourne media about how St Kilda's tackling has gone up a number of degrees and if that's the example of it, well it certainly has gone up," Mace said.
"We can't take any further action.
"I mean, when you've got something on tape and they look at it and they come back with the answer that they felt it was within the boundaries of regulations, then nothing more can be done.
"Unfortunately the cameras went off it before the full issue had played out."
Asked if he felt the incidents were outside the spirit of the game, Mace said: "Yeah, I did actually."
"If I had to say anything, I thought