SFNL: Dingley’s Jake Mullen set to be deregistered after unsuccessful appeal
A club president has launched a staunch defence of a local footballer who is facing deregistration, as new details surrounding the clash with a spectator come to light.
Dingley president Clint Brooks has launched a staunch defence of Jake Mullen, who is set to be deregistered after an unsuccessful appeal failed to overturn his five-week suspension.
Mullen had been hit with a five-week ban after he slapped a spectator in the first quarter of the Dingoes’ round 1 win over Cheltenham in the Division 1 Southern Football Netball League clash.
Mullen was found guilty of “intentionally striking another person” by the Southern league’s independent tribunal last Wednesday night, and the decision was upheld by an independent appeals panel who heard the appeal the following Wednesday.
“We’re so disappointed, I believe if it was in relation to AFL guidelines the punishment should’ve been much less,” Brooks said.
“The league wanted six (weeks) for it, Jake pleaded guilty and we ended up with five which I thought was rather unfair given we pleaded guilty. I would’ve thought two to three and Jake would’ve been playing again and on his last warning but the league didn’t see it that way.
“Bitterly disappointed, it is what it is now, we just support Jake and in 12 months’ time we will try and appeal his deregistration.”
The ruling meant Mullen has now accumulated 18 weeks of total suspensions across his career and he is set to be deregistered as a result.
Under the AFL’s “national player and official deregistration policy’’, players have their registration withdrawn when they hit 16 weeks.
Mullen will be eligible to appeal the deregistration 12 months after the conclusion of his five-week suspension period.
The clash between Mullen and the spectator occurred around 10 minutes into the match at Jack Barker Oval.
Mullen was sent from the field before the second quarter began, after the goal umpire informed the field umpire of the incident at the quarter-time break, and was able to return after 15 minutes. He would go on to kick three goals in Dingley’s 61-point victory.
“The goal umpire said he didn’t see it but he heard it,” Brooks said of the incident.
“There was a heap of Cheltenham under-19s behind the goal, Jake said through the abuse while he was picking up a footy he felt a drop of spit go in his eye, and that’s what fired him up, that could’ve been part of the abuse, it could’ve been spit or whatever.
“Jake questioned it, the kid was smart to him, and he slapped him in the face, it was an open-handed slap. He didn’t punch him or anything and probably thought he let the kid off lightly as it was.”
Brooks said that players shouldn’t clash with spectators, but added: “At the same time, it wasn’t an innocent spectator sitting there minding his own business either”.
“We had three to four witnesses – just mothers and kids walking past – and the abuse was pretty ordinary.
“Jake shouldn’t have done it, it wasn’t a player, it was a spectator, but at the same time if I assumed someone spat in my eye I’d be pretty fired up myself. It is what it is now, I would’ve thought given the provocation and the guilty plea five weeks is too excessive for that type of incident.”
Brooks said players facing deregistration after accumulating 16 weeks of suspensions was an “outdated” policy.
“Times have definitely changed, it’s outdated, now you can get three weeks for a sling tackle with no result.
“If you look at Jake’s record itself, eight of those weeks were in one game … he’s very unlucky. He’s remorseful for what he did and he shouldn’t have done it.
“There was definitely confrontation there which forced him to do it, I’m not sure I would have done anything different in the same situation to be honest.
“The tribunal didn’t see it that way. Jake’s got a reputation now that opposition clubs were targeting and this time he let his guard down, it is what it is.”
Mullen had previously faced deregistration in 2022. At the time, this masthead reported that Mullen had been set to face an indefinite ban after he received a three-week suspension for rough conduct, which had also triggered a two-week suspended sentence from 2021 in the AFL Outer East. The suspensions were overturned after a successful appeal, which allowed Mullen to play on.
While deregistered, Mullen will be unable to coach his kids in future, as AFL rules state that a deregistered player “will also be prohibited from acting as an Official in relation to a Competition”.
Brooks said that was Mullen’s “main concern”.
“It’s a harsh penalty and one he’s really struggling with,” Brooks said.
“To be honest Jake was coming back to play with a few mates this year, it wasn’t about football itself, it sort of hit home that he can’t coach his own kids at Auskick level or anything like that, that’s his biggest concern.”
Mullen is a decorated player and returned to Dingley this season after a stint with Noble Park in the Eastern league’s top division, and has represented Southern in interleague.
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Southern league chief executive officer Lee Hartman said that Mullen committed a serious offence.
“The length of the ban is up to the independent tribunal which believed five weeks was the correct penalty and the appeals panel supported this sanction,” Hartman said.
“It sends a message that no matter the circumstances you cannot engage with spectators and striking a spectator, which Jake pleaded guilty to, is a serious offence.”
Originally published as SFNL: Dingley’s Jake Mullen set to be deregistered after unsuccessful appeal
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