An ugly incident involving Tristan Xerri and Andrew McGrath takes focus away from the North Melbourne Kangaroos win over Essendon Bombers
Updated ,first published
North Melbourne ruckman Tristan
The pressure continues to mount on Bombers coach Brad Scott, whose side were beaten by the Kangaroos in all but the final 20 minutes of the match and are just one defeat from equaling their club-record 17th consecutive defeat next week.
But North’s first win over the Bombers since 2016 was marred by an ugly incident involving inspirational giant Xerri; Xerri faced serious misconduct allegations when match review chief Michael Christian revealed his findings on Sunday.
As Xerri grappled with McGrath, McGrath touched his bloody nose and then appeared to wipe his hand on the Bomber’s face.
Former Collingwood captain Nathan Buckley was suspended from a game in 2002 for smearing his blood on Geelong rival Cameron Ling’s guernsey in a historic case. Xerri can expect a longer sanction given his contact was with McGrath’s skin. Any suspension would result in Xerri missing a winnable Good Friday game against Carlton.
Under court rules, Christian has the power to refer serious acts of misconduct directly to the court.
According to the court direction, misconduct includes any action that is “reasonably considered unacceptable or unsporting, or has the effect or potential to cause damage to the reputation of any person, club or the AFL, or to bring the game of football into disrepute”.
Respected sports doctor Dr Peter Larkins and former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna are among those calling for Xerri to be suspended.
“This needs a definitive AFL response; we cannot achieve this without sanctioning the game,” Larkins wrote. X.
Xerri’s moment of madness came moments after he challenged the referee for a ball infringement free kick and was awarded a 100-metre penalty for being slow to pass the ball to Lachlan Blakiston. He then fell to the ground after being pushed by McGrath and hitting the oncoming Archie Roberts.
Amid the chaos, North’s forward was left unguarded in his 50 as Xerri, who suffered a bloody nose from the incident, recovered from the kick. He marked and scored from the Bombers’ turnover and it was thanks to Xerri’s push and shove after that goal that he made contact with McGrath.
Lyon said of Xerri’s actions after watching a replay of the incident: “The problem here is he’s telling McGrath he’s got a nosebleed and that’s what you don’t want to see.”
“That’s not what you want to see in the game.”
North coach Alastair Clarkson remained tight-lipped when asked about the incident after the match.
“I won’t comment until I see it,” Clarkson said. “Let it develop and I will do it in a bit.”
Xerri’s brain fade ensures the spotlight is not on Scott, but the Dons face another tough week leading up to Sunday night’s clash with the unbeaten Western Bulldogs.
A defeat here would equal the club’s worst losing streak of 17 since 2016, when the Bombers suffered a major setback due to the drugs saga.
The Bombers trailed by as many as 37 points early in the final quarter on Saturday night but scored the final four goals of the game to give fans hope of a great escape.
Former captain Zach Merrett was well contained by North young gun Finn O’Sullivan and was limited to just 10 possessions; It was his lowest point since the first round in 2018 and the fifth-lowest point of his 254-game career.
Scott urged frustrated Bombers fans to be patient with the club’s medium and long-term build strategy rather than rushing for a quick fix. Of the 23 players the Dons fielded, 10 had less than 50 games of experience, while 4 had 10 games or less.
“Bringing in lots of experienced players will make my life a lot easier, but I’m not in this for the easy, I’m in this to create a platform for this club that has been hungry for success for a long time and we want to turn that around quickly,” Scott said.
“The decisions we make are not about looking for a quick fix, but about building this platform, which is very tempting when you feel the pressure.”
He can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Essendon has been going through some really tough times for over 150 years. We’re going through a tough time at the moment but we’ll be okay,” Scott said.
“We have a strategy. That’s very clear. We know that what we’re doing in the medium and long term is something that we’re really excited about, and the decisions we’ve made to look at the medium and long term, we’ve accepted that there are short-term vulnerabilities and there may be some short-term pain, but we’re willing to endure that.”
Scott said the Bombers’ poor possession was a major factor in Saturday’s defeat, contributing to their 138 points; it was their third 100-plus total in as many matches this year. Clarkson said North did not plan to retain ownership that way, but took what was offered.
“You don’t want it, but a big part of it is our execution when we have the ball and when you turn the ball over and the opponent slides the ball, arguably one point becomes 10,” Scott said. “And you don’t need a lot of chains to make that happen.
“It’s not like we’re sitting behind the ball. They obviously wanted to keep the ball in the back half, we need to defend that better. But it’s very difficult to make adjustments behind some of the places we’re turning the ball over at the moment.”
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