Myrtleford defender Zac Pethybridge has been suspended for two matches by the Ovens and Murray Football League after striking Wodonga Raiders 17-year-old Charlie Johnson in the back of the head during a senior match. The incident occurred on Saturday, with match footage showing Johnson, making his senior debut, being punched from behind and collapsing into a fetal position before Pethybridge pushed him further into the ground.
Incident details and tribunal outcome
The league graded the incident as intentional conduct, high contact and medium impact, resulting in a three-match suspension. This was reduced to two games after Pethybridge submitted an early guilty plea. The severity of Johnson's injury remains unclear; however, if he suffered a concussion, he will be sidelined for a minimum of 21 days under league concussion protocols.
Both the Ovens and Murray Football Netball League and the Wodonga Raiders declined to comment when contacted by 7NEWS.com.au.
Community outrage over lenient penalty
The two-week suspension has sparked widespread criticism within the local football community. Liam Andrews wrote on social media: 'Absolute disgrace. How can anyone think this outcome is fair? The kid will miss more weeks with concussion than Pethybridge misses through suspension. Players have received three weeks for accidental high contact from a bump or for pushing someone into a contest. This was an intentional king hit to the back of the head. Tom Lynch got five weeks last year for hitting Jordon Butts in the head and it didn’t even result in a concussion. Very poor outcome.'
Kelly Johnson added: 'This is such a disappointing outcome. Is this the level that the O&M are willingly going to accept? Two weeks for an intentional high impact cowards punch?! And a debut player who is now out in line with concussion protocols for a minimum 21 days! The repercussions for the player outweigh that of the perpetrator. Make sense of that.'
Player background and concussion protocols
Johnson had played 10 games in Wodonga's under-17s team this year before being selected for his senior debut last week. Under current AFL concussion protocols, any player diagnosed with a concussion must undergo a minimum 21-day recovery period before returning to play.
