The high number of charges stemming from Goulburn Valley League matches continued last weekend with an alarming figure released by the league.
A total of 43 infringements were issued by game day umpires and the match review officer from round eight matches — with five of the 38 cited players set to miss matches.
The staggering number of charges, with majority of them originating from engaging in a melee, follows last week’s eyebrow-raising number of 27 infringements.
Mansfield’s Jayden Howes will miss the next three matches after he was found guilty at the tribunal on Wednesday night.
Howes was reported by the MRO for rough conduct in the loss to Mooroopna on June 3.
It was graded as intentional, medium impact and high contact.
He was offered a two-match set penalty, but opted to challenge at the tribunal which was unsuccessful and was handed a three-week suspension.
Shepparton will be without playing co-coach Ted Lindon for this week’s clash against Benalla after he was issued a penalty following the loss to Seymour.
Lindon was charged by the MRO for rough conduct which was graded as careless, medium impact and high contact. He accepted an early guilty plea and will miss one match.
In that same contest, Seymour’s Nathan Fowler was reported for instigating a melee and engaging in a melee.
Both charges carry a separate base sanction of one match and early guilty plea of a reprimand, however, with both charges emanating from the same game he was issued a one-week suspension which was accepted.
Fowler’s teammate Rory Scopel will miss two weeks after he was reported for intentionally striking and engaging in a melee.
Scopel’s striking charge was intentional, low impact and high contact and he accepted an early guilty plea of one match, while he received a reprimand for his engaging in a melee charge.
Due to both charges stemming from the same match he was issued a two-week suspension.
Echuca’s Matthew Lias will miss this week’s match against Mooroopna after he accepted his early guilty plea of one match.
Lias was charged for careless rough conduct in the win over Euroa at Memorial Oval.
Euroa’s Jett Trotter escaped a suspension after he was found not guilty at the tribunal.
Trotter was charged for instigating a melee and engaging in a melee in the same match and was offered a one-week set penalty which he challenged at the tribunal.
A further 10 players from the Euroa and Echuca match were cited for engaging in a melee and handed reprimands, while an additional 20 players from Seymour and Shepparton were charged with engaging in melees and handed reprimands.
In the under-18s, a Shepparton United junior and a Kyabram junior received penalties for instigating a melee and engaging in a melee.
Both charges carry a base sanction of one week and an early guilty plea of a reprimand and due to the charges emanating from the same game, the penalties are added together and both players accepted one-match suspensions.
In the Kyabram District League, Murchison-Toolamba’s Sam Ward and Avenel’s Lachlan Drummond accepted one-match suspensions after the duo was reported by an umpire for striking.
Ward’s teammate Brodie Saunders and Longwood’s Jye Formosa were each handed reprimands after they were reported for charging.
Lastly, one report stemmed from last week’s Picola District Football Netball League matches.
Rennie footballer Caleb Tanner accepted a set penalty of two weeks for intentionally striking an opponent.