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- Andrew Tinney SC is the tribunal counsel. David Galbally QC representing Richards.
- Tribunal watching footage of the incident now.
- Tinney reading medical report from Bulldogs. Lindsay Gilbee was treated for neck and shoulder stiffness but was declared fit to continue playing. Is not receiving any continuing treatment as a result of the incident.
- Ted Richards now taking the witness stand.
- Richards says he approached the contest to win the ball, the ball didn't bounce his way, and he was expecting Gilbee to pick up the ball, so he went in to tackle. Gilbee then knocked the ball foward. He stopped in his tracks, aiming to keep his feet and not give away a free.
- Galbally QC taking Richards through frame by frame footage of the incident. Richards explaining what he was thinking at each moment as the piece of play unfolded.
- Galbally highlighting that Richards stopped when Gilbee knocked the ball forward. Gilbee then continued moving towards him. Richards agrees.
- Richards says when he realised impact with Gilbee was coming, he couldn't stay front on or would have been exposed, so leaned in to soften the contact.
- Galbally highlighting that even after the incident, Richards still had not moved from the position he was in when Gilbee knocked the ball forward.
- Now seeing a video shown to players at the beginning of this season, clarifying the rough conduct rule.
- Galbally's final question to Richards, 'Was there any alternative action you could have taken?' Richards: 'I don't believe so, no.'
- Tribunal counsel Andrew Tinney SC now questioning Richards.
- Tinney: 'Do you think your shoulder came into contact with Gilbee's chin?' Richards says no. Thinks he made contact with Gilbee's shoulder only.
- Tinney questioning whether Richards deliberately braced for contact to prevent Gilbee getting to the ball after he had knocked it on. Richards says no, he stopped in his tracks and couldn't avoid the contact.
- Tinney suggesting that there was movement from Richards in Gilbee's direction after the ball was knocked on. Richards disagrees.
- Tinney suggests Richards put his weight behind the impact. Richards saying he in fact shifted his weight away from Gilbee to soften the impact.
- Tinney suggesting Richards could have avoided contact. Richards says that short of just jumping to the ground, there was no way he could have got out of the way in such a short amount of time.
- Questioning of Richards now finished. Anthony Cahill taking the witness stand. He is the football technology manager at the Sydney Swans.
- Cahill says there was 0.48 seconds between Gilbee knocking the ball off the ground and contact between Richards and Gilbee being made.
- Cahill testifying to the fact that Richards' foot is not moving at the time of impact.
- Now showing footage of Gilbee moving/rotating his shoulder.
- Cahill says incident happened five minutes before half-time. Says that after half-time Gilbee had a further 16 possessions.
- Cahill says that by his analysis of the footage, there was no contact to Gilbee's head.
- Tinney now questioning Cahill. Cahill supporting Richards' argument that he was not leaning into the bump, but leaning away to try to minimise impact.
- No further questions. Cahill leaves witness stand.
- Now hearing closing statement by Andrew Tinney SC.
- Tinney says there are two questions: 1. Was this a bump? He doesn't think the frame-by-frame footage does justice to what occurred. Thinks it clearly appears as a bump when watching footage in real time. 2. Was there forceful high contact? Suggests the footage shows there clearly was, despite Richards saying there wasn't. Thinks it was contact between Richards' left shoulder and Gilbee's chin.
- Richards' advocate David Galbally QC now summing up. Was it a bump? He says the footage shows Richards stopped as soon as Gilbee knocked the ball forward, meaning he was stationary upon impact. Gilbee's momentum carried him into Richards, Galbally says. Argues that Gilbee was aware he was about to run into Richards, because he put his hands up and moved his head. The top half of Richards' body was leaning away, not into Gilbee. Argues it wasn't a bump, and the contact was unavoidable.
- Galbally saying the umpire was in a perfect position to see if there was head-high contact, and he didn't pay a free. Says if there was head-high contact, which he doesn't think there was, it would have to be rated as 'low' impact, not 'medium'.
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