The Pendlebury Precedent: Can Neale Ride the Wave? The drama unfolding in Brisbane is a stark reminder that, in sports as much as on the streets, rules are meant to be bent – not broken.
Lachie Neale's one match ban for striking Hawthorn's Jack Ginnivan has sparked a heated debate about the application of AFL laws, with the Lions pinning their hopes on the "exceptional and compelling circumstances" clause.
This provision is often misunderstood as a get out of jail free card for good blokes. However, it's actually a nuanced tool designed to allow flexibility in exceptional cases.