Lloyd Out - Rama Returns!

Essendon will be without skipper Matthew Lloyd when they take on AFL Ladder leader Geelong at the Phone Dome in AFL Round 14 on Friday night after the AFL Tribunal validated the AFL Match Review Panel’s original one week suspension for charging Demon Nathan Carroll.

Lloyd told the tribunal he was willing to plead guilty to the lesser count of striking, rather than charging. Lloyd said he had run after Carroll to deliver a bump, because he was “annoyed with what he did (bumped to the ground by Carroll and Lloyd missed a shot for goal on the three-quarter-time siren). I thought he might have humiliated me, made me look a bit of a fool and I didn’t want him going to the huddle being happy with the way things were going and what he’d done to me.”

Lloyd stood before the tribunal members, Wayne Schimmelbusch, David Pittman and Wayne Henwood, to illustrate how he threw out a right forearm, striking an unsuspected Carroll to the lower back. But the tribunal rejected Lloyd’s striking defence.

Afterwards Lloyd said he was “disappointed” with the verdict and the club would not appeal the tribunal finding.

The Bombers earlier also lucked out in front of the tribunal with defender Andrew Welsh also unsuccessfully challenging a reprimand for a front-on bump on Demon Brad Green. Welsh will however be available to play against Geelong, but will carry over
93.75 demerit points for a year.

With Lloyd out, news has emerged out of Windy Hill late on Tuesday night that Adam Ramanauskas will be elevated onto the Essendon senior list on Wednesday and be named to play his first AFL match since Round 3 2005 against the Cats this Friday night.

Ramanauskas has had two operations to remove a cancer tumour in his neck-shoulder along with a total knee reconstruction, but has found form in the VFL the past few weeks.

Posted 4 July 07 in News