AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise the appeal lodged by Southern Districts Football Club in the matter of Pierce Liddle has been dismissed.
The independent Appeal Board found Southern Districts had no grounds to appeal the original Tribunal’s decision made on Wednesday 7 February 2018.
Southern Districts had presented arguments under point B of rule 4.3 Grounds for Appeal as stated in the 2017 State and Territory Tribunal Guidelines:
4.3 Grounds for Appeal
Except where otherwise determined by the Controlling Body, a Person, Club and/or the Controlling Body, may appeal to the Appeal Board in respect of a decision made by the Tribunal under these Guidelines on one or more of the following grounds:
a) that there was an error of law;
b) that the decision was so unreasonable that no Tribunal acting reasonably could have come to that decision having regard to the evidence before it;
c) the classification of the level of the offence was manifestly excessive or inadequate; or
d) that the sanction imposed was manifestly excessive or inadequate.
On Wednesday 7 February Liddle of the Southern Districts Football Club was found guilty for the charge of rough conduct for an incident during the first quarter of the Round 12 TIO NTFL Men’s Premier League game between Southern Districts and Waratah Football Club played at TIO Stadium on Sunday 7 January 2018.
AFLNT will now commence steps to deregister the player as he has completed his sentence and the prescribed penalty has placed him beyond the 15-game suspension threshold allowed under national AFL policy.
A player/official who has been deregistered may not appeal their deregistration until at least 12 months after the date on which they were deregistered.
