AFL experts call for changes to the Rising Star Award rule following Harley Reid’s suspension

In response to Harley Reid and Sam Darcy’s two-game suspensions, which rendered both ineligible for the Rising Star Award, the AFL world has risen in protest. The goal of the movement is to provoke changes on the eligibility rules of the Rising Star Award.

Harley Reid, young gun of the West Coast Eagles, was slapped with a two-game suspension after an incident involving fellow nominee Darcy Wilson. The ban followed Reid performing a sling-tackle on Wilson on Saturday, rendering the former ineligible for Rising Star honours.

Western Bulldogs key forward Sam Darcy also copped a disqualification from winning the Rising Star after a two-game suspension following his “bump” on Brayden Maynard.

The AFL’s code of conduct states that a regular-season suspension renders a player ineligible for an end-of-season award such as the Rising Star. The repercussions of Reid’s actions make him the first favourite for the award in three decades to be rendered ineligible owing to suspension.

In Fox Footy's AFL 360 panel session on Monday, Geelong Cats coach Chris Scott and the Hawks' Sam Mitchell, previous Rising Star Award winners themselves, spoke about needed changes to return the league award to its former glory. Mitchell said:

"What's fairest back then and what's fairest now are quite different things. I think there's a difference between intentional and careless (tribunal gradings). I think if it's an intentional act, then perhaps it shouldn't be allowed to be won, but if it's more careless such as that, I think it might be something the AFL might want to look at."

Coach Chris Scott added that players with remarkable performances should not be denied end-of-season awards because of suspensions. He said:

"To be ruled out because of that; that’s just crazy ... Everyone thinks he should be suspended in the current era, but my point is, when these things were implemented … you could punch a player behind the play and not get suspended. Now, because the benchmark for being suspended is so much tighter, and the awards kind of haven’t moved with it."

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Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes speaks on the “fairness” element of the Rising Star Award eligibility criteria

AFL Rd 12 - GWS v Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes, speaking on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show, said some aspects of the Rising Star Award criteria needs to be changed to consider the gravity of offences. He said:

"Do we need to remove the fairness element of the Rising Star? Particularly, with so many tiggy touchwood suspensions that we are getting that we wouldn’t have got 5-6 years ago. These two players (Reid and Darcy) are ineligible, it’s going to be a bit farcical on the night because of a suspension.

"Whether we need to remove that and have a threshold (before losing the award) – maybe if you’ve been suspended for four weeks, then that triggers the threshold.”

With Reid out of the race, only North Melbourne’s George Wardlaw and Colby McKercher are left as favourites for the award.