Footy figures have erupted after Richmond youngster Tyler Sonsie earned a controversial victory at his VFL tribunal date for striking an opponent.
With his side leading North Melbourne by 12 points late in the contest, Sonsie lashed out at opponent Tom Cappellari with a left-handed strike as you can see in the video above.
He collected Cappellari flush on the jaw with the Kangaroo dropping to the ground in pain.
Analysis, local footy and the biggest moments, Seven and 7plus are the home of footy shows for every fan. Stream them all for free on 7plus >>
Cappellari was eventually able to get to his feet and take his kick, but the incident was nonetheless graded severe impact with a potential ban of five or more matches.
Sonsie, though, received only a three-match suspension after the tribunal downgraded the ruling to high impact.
“Hmmm,” veteran footy reporter Paul Amy wrote.
Football commentator Daniel Garb said: “It’s a pretty long batting order but only three weeks for this could be the worst decision ever. 6-8 (weeks) minimum.”
As fans branded Sonsie ‘very lucky’ and the tribunal ‘very weak’, veteran journalists Gerard Whateley and Mark Robinson took time out of their AFL finals coverage to address the VFL decision.
“It’s a pretty blatant strike, I would say it’s as poor as anything we’ve seen this season,” Whateley began on AFL 360.
“That is woefully inadequate.”
Robinson said it was “rubbish”.
“(Hawthorn captain) James Sicily got three weeks for a bum tackle in an act of play,” he said.
“Whether you agree with (tackle crackdowns) or not, we’re starting to get our heads around it.
“That (Sonsie’s strike) is a blatant act of violence on the football field.”
The Tigers did qualify for the new-look VFL finals wildcard round, which start this week, but the three-game ban will see the 20-year-old miss the start of next year’s AFL season.
Sonsie was pushing for a recall to the senior side after a team-high 23 disposals and a goal in the victory over North Melbourne.
He was taken with pick No.28 in the 2021 draft and has played 10 senior games in his two years in the AFL.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.