AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) wishes to advise the Match Review Panel has reviewed all matches played in Round 13 of the 2019/20 TIO NTFL season, and the following charges have been laid in the senior divisions:
Men’s Division 1
Broderick Church, coach of Palmerston Magpies Football Club, has been charged with using abusive/obscene language towards an umpire during the three-quarter time break of the TIO NTFL Men’s Division 1 match between the Palmerston and Banks Football Club at TIO Oval 2 on Sunday 12 January 2020.
Based on the umpire's report, it was the view of the Panel that the specific content of the language Church is alleged to have used is in-line with the Auditory Offences matrix (Appendix 9) that is part of the AFLNT Rules and Regulations (2019-2020 edition) and should be classified as low, meaning the comment could be heard less than 10 metres away, while the conduct was rated as abusive/obscene. This has resulted in a three-match penalty.
In summary, Church can accept a two-match penalty for an early guilty plea.
The club/coach via the club's tribunal advocate has until 9:00pm tonight (Tuesday) to accept the early plea or lodge an appeal to have the matter heard by an independent Tribunal.
*UPDATED Wednesday 15 January*
The Tribunal will not sit for the senior divisions after Broderick Church pleaded guilty and accepted his early penalty.
