Goulburn Valley Football League Chairman David Roff has thanked members of the Independent Tribunal following the resolution of the case involving Benalla player Josh Mellington.
"Members of the Tribunal are volunteers who provide the League with excellent service" he said.
"Over the past week, in a case that has generated significant interest, they have followed a process as they are required to do for each and every case."
"At the end of the day we need to remember that:
Umpires reported what they saw as an incident that warranted reporting
The Independent GVFL Tribunal heard the case and found it proven
An appeal was lodged with AFL Victoria and, following a rehearing of the case, which included evidence from witnesses who did not appear at the GVFL hearing, the appeal was upheld."
"The appeal process has come up with a different conclusion as does occur from time to time."
"The League does not wish to see any player missing games, particularly in the finals series, but if a report is made it needs to be followed through."
"I now look forward to the Finals series commencing."
"There has also been significant commentary on the non admittance of the media into the hearing."
"Under the AFL Vic Country Handbook the conduct of the Tribunal is a matter for the Tribunal and while there may have been occasions in the past where the media have been admitted, this was not the case on this occasion."
"Every other GVFL case has been heard this year without media attendance."
"The role of the media in reporting tribunal outcomes is important and to facilitate this an advisory process is in place to ensure all relevant media are fully and accurately informed of upcoming cases and also the results of any hearings."
Last Modified on 27/09/2016 17:41