Police charge suspected bottle thrower; Sam Docherty tries to come back in final but throws a curveball; Former Test bowler marvels at his AFLW star daughter; Australian Cricket; Carlton Blues; Hawthorn Hawks

Pickett apologized to Moore for the injury and said he didn’t expect Moore to go down so soon.

“My aim was to protect the space and win the ball back in front of me by stopping Darcy,” he said.

“That’s my normal way of fighting for the ball and attacking in other games.”

Anderson argued Pickett was not guilty because he was legitimately vying for the ball and was unlikely to cause injury when he decided to make the collision, and he could not foresee Moore kneeling during the challenge, leading to high contact.

AFL lawyer Sally Flynn said the footage showed Pickett running past the ball and then choosing to run into Moore rather than try to recapture it.

“It is unjustifiable to choose to hit someone at any stage of the game – not at the outset and certainly not after Mr Moore attempted to receive the ball,” Flynn said.

Flynn said it was clear that such behavior could cause harm, as evidenced by the fact that Moore did suffer a concussion.

This isn’t the first time Pickett has gotten in trouble for a hit.

Pickett missed Melbourne’s first game of the season after being suspended for a high-profile hit on Patrick Cripps in last year’s semi-final loss to Carlton.

He was also banned for one game for hitting Adelaide’s Jake Soligo during the Gather Round.

Police charge man with throwing bottle at goal umpire

Jon Pirick

Police have charged a man after he allegedly threw a bottle at the goal referee during the Carlton-St Kilda AFL match at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Investigators identified a 23-year-old Northcote man who was interviewed by appointment at the police station on Tuesday.

He was subsequently charged with reckless endangerment, discharge of a missile and unlawful assault and fled the game on Sunday.

Referee Steven Piperno was hit by a bottle while facing away from the crowdHe suffered a cut on the back of his head. Piperno left the field and was replaced by a substitute. He was treated at the stadium for a minor injury and spent the rest of the game on the bench.

Police and security personnel used CCTV and radio footage to identify the man, who has been bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on November 1.

He sat near the Carlton cheerleading team but was not a member of the group.

The man now faces a lifetime ban from the AFL because the sport’s governing body considers referees to be sacrosanct at a time when attracting referees to the sport has never been more difficult. An AFL spokesman said the league would discuss the issue on Wednesday.

Carlton coach Michael Voss made his feelings clear when asked about the incident on Sunday.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of behaviour – it’s not what football is about,” Voss said.

The main choice dilemma facing Michael Voss

Wu Ande

Carlton’s long list of injured stars awaiting recall for the finals has put a damper on veteran Sam Docherty’s quest for a September comeback.

As many as eight Blues first-choice players, including twin towers Charlie Curnow and Harry Mackay, could return to the squad for the knockout final against the Lions, posing a huge selection dilemma for head coach Michael Voss just days after they struggled to field a squad due to a host of injuries.

Injury crisis Play is gradually being eased at Ikon Park but the problem facing Wass and his match committee now is working out how many injured players can return at once.

While the Blues won’t release an update on the injury list until next week, Curnow (ankle), Mackay (quadriceps), Zach Williams (hamstring), Mitch McGovern (hamstring) and Jake Martin (hamstring) are considered the most likely to return, based on the schedule released last week.

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Mackay said he will return to face the Lions.

“I feel really good,” he said on The Ben and Harry Podcast.

“I had a couple of really good practices last week and was almost ready to play.

“I’ve still got two weeks of training to go and a few things to do. We’ll see how it goes – it’s going really well.”

Centers Tom de Koning (lung and foot) and Adam Serra (hamstring) remain in contention, though the club has not released projected return dates since their injuries.

But Docherty’s return would be the most shocking. Just six months after rupturing his ACL in the first round.It usually takes most players about 12 months to recover from this injury.

Docherty will have three or four sessions on the training ground to convince Voss, who has not played at any level since his injury, that he is ready for the final.

Further complicating matters for Voss is the large number of players that could return and how that will affect the balance of the squad, its energy and its ability to play.

The Blues also need to consider the possibility of players with a history of soft tissue injuries being injured again.

Last week, Wass tempered expectations of Docherty returning to the fairytale final.

“I can’t predict right now what the situation is going to be. I really can’t because there are so many variables involved,” Voss said. On the eve of the Blues’ Round 24 match against St Kilda.

“We have to get players back into the team who have been out for a long time. There are a lot of factors that go into this decision and we’ll make sure everyone knows that we’re going to look at all of those variables very carefully. This is not something we’re going to roll out lightly.

“He (Docherty) is on a long-term rehabilitation programme and we have to respect that. But all those risks, if you want to call it that, will be managed for him and the team and we’ll go from there.”

The return of Coleman Medal winners Curnow and Mackay will go a long way to bolster the Blues, who in the last two rounds fielded a makeshift forward line centred around Brodie Kemp, supported by midfielder Matt Kennedy and a host of smaller forwards.

The severely shorthanded Blues came within seconds of a remarkable win against the Saints at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion. Port Adelaide beats Fremantle to save season A few hours later, we were at the other end of the country.

‘I couldn’t do it myself’: Former cricketer in awe of AFLW star’s daughter

Marnie Vinal

Damian Fleming may have had a successful cricket career, but his 19-year-old daughter Jasmine has fulfilled one of his biggest sporting dreams.

Damian was a star spin bowler who played 20 Tests and 88 One-Day Internationals for Australia, but he was also a tragic figure at Hawthorn.

“To see Jace running around in a Hawthorns jersey; (I) haven’t been able to do that myself, but it’s absolutely fantastic,” he said.

Despite being selected second overall in the 2022 draft, Jasmine is about to begin her third season with the Eagles and already has an impressive resume.

Last year, she was named vice-captain at the age of 18 and has finished third in the club’s best and fairest awards in both of her seasons with the Eagles so far.

She is a highly-rated player with a strong sporting pedigree: her mother Wendy was a fine netball player and her uncle Gary O’Donnell was Essendon captain, playing 243 games for the Bombers between 1987 and 1998. Her aunt Shelley O’Donnell was also a fine netball player, with 84 caps for the national team.

As a teenager she chose to focus on her football career but admits her cricket background sometimes shone through, including in her skill at catching ground balls.

“When I was playing cricket I was a pretty good fielder so that probably helped a bit,” she said.

Jasmine and Damien played football together during the Hawthorns’ “Father’s Day” training session at Waverley Park on Tuesday, with Jasmine praising her father for a “good backhand kick” in blustery conditions. It was a celebration and a recognition of the role of family in a football career, ahead of the Hawthorns’ season opener against Carlton at Kinetic Stadium in Frankston on Sunday afternoon.

“Until 10 years ago, the goal for daughters wasn’t to play professional football. But you know, dads also want to see their daughters play in top-level AFL,” Damien said.

Damien joked that his daughter didn’t inherit speed from his side of the family: “I love watching Jas play because she’s got a lot of speed, because I don’t. So her mum Wendy has a lot of speed too.”

The best part for Jasmine and Damien is that the whole family are big fans of Hawthorn.

“It’s brainwashing from a very young age. I’m not going to lie to you, the (Hawthorn) three-peat helped… Jass made all three (finals). Her brother Brayden made all three,” joked Damien, who added that Wendy had been a Hawthorn supporter from a young age and was easily re-accepted.

Jasmine said the Hawthorn team would be different this year under new coach Dan Webster, who replaced the team’s first coach Beck Goddard. During the off-season, they also gained a wealth of experience from former Melbourne players Eliza West and Cathy Sheriff.

Jasmine played a few minutes on the wing in a pre-season practice game against Sydney, but she expects to play a bit of a different role as the team enters its third season.

“Obviously, new coach, new game plan. I think I can fit in, I think I’m pretty flexible, so I can probably play a different role,” Jasmine said. “Honestly, I’m just happy to play wherever the team needs me.”

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