Bedford got booked last week for not making head high contact and had to go to court to overturn the MRP decision. So if Maynard doesn't get booked it'll be a farce.  That's not to say I agree that should happen as it's clear the primary intent was to spoil the ball, but leaving the ground, dropping the shoulder to protect yourself and flushing someone in the face with it, knocking them out stone cold and forcing them to miss the next 2 weeks under concusion protocols is sure to draw the ire of the MRP.  Head high, reckless and High impact cannot be a "nothing to see" scenario the way they adjudicate these things today. 

Very average show from the pies supporters whilst Brayshaw was out cold too. 

 Summed up well, as soon as the arm was tucked in and connected with the head you are gone, three weeks will be about right. Would,nt expect much less from the pies supporters, would have been a few loose tooths getting thrown about.

Pies are definitely the real deal!

 Pies really looked good. I went over and watched them play Brisbane and wasn't convinced after that game but looks like they have settled. 

Brayshaw had ample opportunity to avoid contact IMO, Maynard was in the air attempting to spoil, he cant be held responsible for others' inability to get out of the way surely? Plus he had a helmet on so deserves to get hit! Haha, AFL has been unwatchable for years now and it seems like nothing will change anytime soon unfortunately.

 I think the Maynard thing will go as long as the Pies do in the finals. If they make the GF it'll still be getting argued in court. Hard to see him getting off.

Pies looked bloody good as did the Blues. Brisbane were very good but they always are at home.

 Tucked the shoulder in and made high contact. Gone for a few weeks. 

 He was off the ground before Brayshaw kicked the ball so it was Brayshaw who could have avoided the contact  not Maynard.

Also heard the argument about duty of care, if Brayshaw was at a higher risk of concussion than other players then should he have not been there, after all your responsibility is to yourself before the health of others?

 Pretty sure there has been a lot of commentary the last few years about players leaving the ground and if they choose to do so and make high contact they are gone. Wouldn't have mattered who he connected with it would have put them on their arses with the same result. Maybe he needed to not tuck his arm in, might have been a different result for both players.

I recon he will get 3 weeks, the toothless brigade will be up in arms..including Uncle, Buckley and Eddie with the media smashing it for a few more days..weeks.

The appeal will be successful due to insufficient evidence, lack of camera angles maybe, with the sentence reduced to two weeks freeing him to play the GF should they make it.

West Coast 7 will get Gaff to comment, Nik nat too even though his throw on Karl Amon had fk all to do with it.

 There has been a lot of talk over the years that the AFL has a habit of protecting Victorian clubs, particularly when in sight of the big dance. This will be an interesting case to watch as they would definitely want "their" clubs to be there on the big day. I don't really care who wins the flag this year so long as it's a good GF. I doubt the AFL feels the same way.

 In breaking news magpies are now considered a protected species....

 Maynard has been found not guilty and rightly so

 Pretty fair really its not Maynards fault Braydhaw has already had too many concussions and any slight tap will put him out. I'm no Collingwood supporter by far but you could hardly call it a hit.

 So much for protecting the player with the ball, oh well open season for snipers like Maynard. 

 Read that the match revue officer wasn't going to lay charges but his boss took it upon herself to lay them, he very nearly told them to shove it because of someone trying to do his job for him

 Oh well the AFL have now decided not to appeal the matter. As a one-eyed WCE supporter, just give us the two best teams and their best players for the GF!

 Make it a free for all in the grand final.... Whats a couple of weeks off pre season.

Michael Christian is a joke of a MRO anyway,  zero consisteny in his entire tenure, the best result for everyone would have been if he'd followed through on his 3 year old tantrum and quit, can;t even remain consistent with his own rantings. Flog. 

This result now opens the door for every head high contact now being thrown out with the "I didn't mean to" argument. There's now a precedence which every club lawyer can refer to plain as day. No right minded club from here on in doesn't challenge pretty much any head high contact decision. At the same time the AFL has 60 past players bringing a class action against them for the ongoing effects of concussion. 

So as much as part of me says it's a common sense decision, the other part says here's your evidence in the case of the next 200 players who also start class ations in the future that the AFL did nothing to mitigate risk. Could be expensive to go to the footy in a few years covering the muti million doallar claims.  

Summary, there's no easy answer.

 How many times over the last 5 years have you heard the commentators talk about head contact and the consequences for doing it?

David Mundy made an interesting and I think relevant comment. If it was Scott Pendlebury he was going to make accidental contact with after the jump to smother (or any Pies player), would he still have braced and dropped the shoulder?  And that I think is the crux of it, no there was not intent, but he had a split second to decide to either minimise contact or not, and he chose not. 

On expected scores ... 

 RIP Ron Barassi 

 He will be remembered as a champion to the game, tough footballer and successful as a coach. R.I .P

 GWS looked good.

 I commented last night gws have found some good shit to settle him down.

Can't help but feel the Pies are going to do this is a canter. Mihocek to kick 3

How's the hearts Unc and John x2?

Great game mared by terrible umpiring at times. Pies 'deliberate' OOB... wtf, Toby and a Pies player getting decapitated, Cox being slung to the ground in the ruck contest in front of goal and no free, umpire throwing it up (rather than a throw in) after deeming the GWS kick was not on the full.

Pies were the better team for 3 quarters especially when they choked the GWS space and run allowing Moore, Quaynor and co to run amock off the half back line. On the flipside Daicos, Sidebottom and Pendles thrived in those tight clinches creating space with elite decision making when releasing the ball by hand or foot. De Goey simply bullocked his way through anything and I don't recall one tackle sticking.

That Toby goal from stoppage though where he created cms of space from Maynard to get on his left in heavy traffic!

Getting the Mrs onto a good Thermomix humble pie recipe just in case I need to eat a big ol' slice next weekend if the Pies don't pull a Collywobble 

 Summed up well frosty, hopefully tonights game will be as close. Just get the pie made with some of those teeth lollies you used to be able to buy. I'm sure they will be available somewhere.

 While Toby was very very good he'll be not sleeping very well after his late snap on goal that sidebottom marked on the goal line. 

He had the time to steady and find a spare player.

I dispute the pies were better for 3 quarters, imo at best it was 50/50 and late in the game it seemed to me the umpires were woooed ( WC styles ) by the crowd in their decision making.

The 25m slap fwd by the GWS player along the boundary gaining territory in a pressure cooker finals situation was great play but a free kick was given to Collingwood for insufficient intent.  WTF

Brisbane deserve this one imo, they've been the better team late in the season when it matters.

Good luck to both teams and their supporters....

Don't forget that new wooden spoon to stir the beef stew at camp mate. Slugger is also quite partial to Chardonnay so get that chilled as well.

 Fins UP Boys , 25 years is a long wait but worth it YEE HA

 Didn't see the Brissie/Blues game but enjoyed the Pies and Giants. I actually thought the Giants were the better team on the night but the scoreboard says otherwise! Both teams missed some chnaces but with only 1 point in it it's just a case of who is ahead when the siren goes. Yet again it shows that you don't right off this Collingwood team despite being well behind.

I thought the game was poorly umpired but more because of glaring free kicks that were missed rather than what was picked up. Don't think it really favoured one team overall, but again, with a 1 point margin who knows?

I just hope the GF is a cracker of a game as opposed to the recent duds! I'm on the Brissie train for a week but those Pies will be hard to beat at the G!