A clash between the Melbourne midfielder and Adelaide’s Tom Lynch in last Saturday’s match at Adelaide Oval left the Crow forward with a broken jaw and a two-month stint on the sidelines.
The young Demon was referred straight to the AFL Tribunal, which handed him a two-match suspension after it deemed the contact with Lynch was not an unavoidable collision, but a deliberate bump.
Many influential past and present football figures have condemned the decision, and Melbourne has elected to appeal the ban.
Talking points v Port Adelaide
Fremantle’s senior coach weighed in on the debate at his media conference on Thursday morning, but he refrained from taking a side in the matter.
Lyon said his observation was that the tribunal had held the line that’s been held for a long time.
“If you’ve got an alternative (to bumping), and clearly it was deemed that he (Viney) had an alternative, if you bump, you’re responsible,” he said.
“The rule is the rule, it’s been interpreted that way, and while the rule is like that, you’re going to get the same outcome.
“I’m not saying the rule is right or wrong. It’s pretty simple from my end.”
Lyon said the genesis of the AFL’s tough stance on head-high contact stemmed from overseas precedents adding that he understood why the league had implemented the rules.
“You’ve got to look at the opportunity cost on the other side of the equation, with injury and head injuries,” he said.
Lyon said there had been plenty of “rhetoric and grandstanding” surrounding the issue, but he urged a more patient approach.
“At the end of the day, it is what is,” he said.
“There’s an appeal process in place, which is critical for sport justice to be had.
“Let it go through the appeal process and see what comes.”
The senior coach said he had not spoken to his players about bumping but said they knew the consequences if they did.
“If you’ve got a viable alternative, and it’s interpreted that you have, if you bump then you’re going to be in trouble,” Lyon said.
“Currently where it sits, if you feel vulnerable, you’re going to need to take evasive action and step out of the way.”
His only instruction to his squad was to continue making the ball their sole target.
“If the ball’s your object, I haven’t seen anyone suspended yet,” Lyon said.
