Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Darcy Fogarty will miss the Adelaide Crows’ next three matches after the Australian Football League Tribunal upheld his striking suspension on Monday evening. The in-form forward’s ban begins with Thursday night’s match against Collingwood at Adelaide Oval.
Darcy Fogarty was charged for striking Sydney Swans veteran Harry Cunningham during the Adelaide Crows’ 16-point win at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. The incident left Harry Cunningham concussed and was graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
Elsewhere in Australian rules football, the Kambalda Eagles face a difficult road stretch in their finals chase.
Darcy Fogarty and the Adelaide Crows argued that the incident was a high tackle rather than a strike. They also claimed the impact should have been graded as high instead of severe.
“I was just trying to wrap him up and execute the tackle,” Darcy Fogarty said.
Australian Football League counsel Andrew Woods KC argued that Darcy Fogarty swung his right arm in a “roundhouse style”. After 45 minutes of evidence and 20 minutes of deliberation, the tribunal was “comfortably satisfied” that the action was a strike.
“Fogarty's technique of forcefully swinging his arm in the likely direction of his opponent's head and neck was ... careless,” tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson KC said.
The full decision is available in the official Australian Football League Tribunal report.
In other tribunal news, Greater Western Sydney Giants defender Lachie Ash received a $5,000 fine for abusing field umpire Jordyn Pearson. Essendon