Home

‘An injustice’: AFL great Tim Watson slams Sam Reid’s two-match suspension for Nat Fyfe hit

Headshot of Chris Robinson
Chris RobinsonThe West Australian
CommentsComments
VideoNew vision emerges of brutal Nat Fyfe KO

Footy great Tim Watson has labelled the AFL “hypocrites” after Sam Reid was hit with a two-match ban for his bump that left Nat Fyfe concussed.

GWS this morning opted not to contest the veteran’s penalty, with Reid’s third-quarter hit leaving Fyfe groggy and ruled out of the remainder of Fremantle’s win over the Giants on Sunday.

It is not clear how much the bump will impact Fyfe, who will be sidelined with concussion symptoms for the third time in his AFL career.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The repeat nature of the head knocks led to concussion campaigner Peter Jess urging Fyfe to undergo a brain scan and sit out 30 days of football - almost three weeks more than the AFL’s mandatory 12-day lay-off.

Watson argued Reid’s case should have been referred directly to the tribunal in the same vein as Patrick Dangerfield’s bump that knocked out Jake Kelly a week prior, with the Cats star copping a three-week ban.

The Game AFL 2024

“The (MRO), and by extension the AFL, are hypocrites,” Watson said on his SEN breakfast show.

MORE AFL:

“On one hand, they are saying the head is sacrosanct: ‘We’ll do everything we can to protect the players’ heads out on the ground’.

“And then, when given the opportunity to show how seriously they take concussion, head knocks and the potential for CTE, they baulk and hand out a paltry two-week penalty.

“When will we take this seriously? I could argue what Reid did was more an act of footy violence than Patrick Dangerfield. He deserved a greater penalty than Patrick Dangerfield.

“Fyfe was completely passive. He was not expecting contact at that time.

“It knocked him off his feet, he was out to it. It was a sickening sight.”

Fyfe gets taken out by Sam Reid.
Camera IconFyfe gets taken out by Sam Reid.

Watson said he had concerns for Fyfe’s immediate future after the third knock, which came in the same month as a sickening collision with Zac Langdon in a practice game that saw the Fremantle skipper play on.

VideoWest Coast recruit Zac Langdon was knocked out in a clash of heads with Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe.

“No-one knows now though what damage Fyfe will carry forward, and when he will feel well enough to train fully again,” Watson said.

“This was an injustice.”

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails