Lloyd hit with four-game AFL ban

The AFL match review panel have come down hard on Essendon, strengthening the
perception that the Bombers are only making up the finals numbers.
Captain Matthew Lloyd received a massive six-game rough conduct suspension for the
bump that left Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell with facial fractures during
Saturday's fiery clash at the MCG.
Lloyd, who is weighing up his football future, can accept a four-match ban with an
early plea, while teammates Patrick Ryder and Sam Lonergan are also facing one-match
striking bans.
The inconsistent Bombers are already at long odds for Friday night's elimination
final against in-form Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.
Even if the Bombers somehow reach the grand final, Lloyd will not play again this
season.
Lloyd is also yet to confirm whether he will play again next season.
The winner of Saturday's MCG clash took eighth spot and the Bombers beat the Hawks
by 17 points.
But there has been an ugly aftermath, with Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson apologising
on Monday morning for his post-game anger and some blunt comments in the changerooms
from defender Campbell Brown.
On Monday afternoon the match review panel laid a hefty 14 charges from the game.
It was a busy post-weekend review for the panel, with a total of 22 charges.
In separate incidents, Ryder and Lonergan were booked for striking Hawthorn utility
Luke Hodge.
Hawks midfielder Chance Bateman can accept a one-match suspension for striking Lloyd
in an incident after the Sewell bump.
Ryder, Lonergan and Bateman risk two-game bans if they take their cases to the
tribunal and fail.
Lloyd's big hit on Sewell sparked a melee and 10 players can accept $1200 fines for
their parts in the scuffle.
Ryder, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Adam McPhee, Michael Hurley and Dustin Fletcher were
fined from Essendon, while the panel penalised Hawthorn's Hodge, Brown, Michael
Osborne, Grant Birchall and Brent Renouf
They all risk a fine of $1800 with an unsuccessful tribunal visit.
The only good news for Essendon from the match review panel was that a rough conduct
charge against Jarrod Atkinson was overruled.
On Monday morning, Clarkson called himself a "peanut" for his post-game actions,
with Hawks football manager Mark Evans having to restrain him on the boundary line
as the two teams left the field.
Clarkson was fuming for several reasons, but mainly because he had just seen the
damage to Sewell's face for the first time.
"I'm a bit of a peanut that I'm so passionate about my footy, I suppose, Clarkson
told Melbourne radio station SEN on Monday morning.
"In one sense it's the reason why we do things well, but on the odd occasion it's
also why we let ourselves down poorly and I thought on the weekend that was the case
with my actions post-game."
Clarkson vented his anger at a group of Essendon players that included star
midfielder Jobe Watson.
In the rooms afterwards, Brown continued his feud with Lloyd, calling the star
Bombers forward a "sniper".
"If we looked at things differently again we'd probably think that we should have
handled things with a bit more candour that what we did, but it's a very, very
passionate game of footy," Clarkson said.
The panel also handed North Melbourne's Drew Petrie a two-match striking ban, while
the Power's Troy Chaplin can accept a one-match striking suspension.
Fremantle youngster Matthew De Boer can escape with a reprimand for striking.
Nathan Jones (Melbourne), Shaun Hampson (Carlton), Andrew Embley (West Coast) and
Jack Riewoldt (Richmond) were fined for umpire contact and Port's Kane Cornes
received a fine for umpire abuse.