"He’s been manhandled" - Justin Longmuir calls for AFL probe over Fremantle Dockers star who has been mistreated all season
In an offball situation in the final minutes of Fremantle's win over bottom placed Richmond, defender Ben Miller avoided suspension in the collision with Jye Amiss.
The youngster was pushed to the ground as Miller dropped his knee on his neck. That comes after Amiss’ return to action after a concussion in the round six game against West Coast.
Amiss was awarded a free kick and scored his second of the game, bringing his tally this season to 12 goals across seven appearances. Coach Longmuir expressed his displeasure with the league's handling of the forward's treatment from the opposition. He said in his post-match press conference:
“I've got big concerns about how he's been treated all year. We've gone to the umpires asking for a bit more protection for Jye. He had concussion a couple of weeks ago against West Coast and then missed last week obviously with that concussion.”
“Some of the treatment he got behind the ball today, I understand that defenders need to ... block runs and all that type of thing, (but) that incident late is not ideal. I feel like he’s been manhandled at times throughout (the year), and we need to look after those types of players.”
He added that opposition defenders take advantage of Amiss being lighter framed and young to put in some rough tackles.
He expects that in future games, the umpires will try to protect the player better, and engaging the AFL to protect players from career-ending injuries.
Fremantle's win over Richmond marred by melee
Freemantle's win over Richmond featured a career-high four-goal haul from Josh Treacy. Midfielders Hayden Young with 30 disposals, two goals and Caleb Serong 38 disposals also starred for Fremantle as they beat Richmond 103-49.
Luke Ryan put in one of the best performances in his career, registering a career-high 39 disposals in defence. Richmond was unable to penetrate Fremantle's defence for their second goal until the fifth minute of the third quarter.
In the final minutes of the game, though, a scuffle broke out. Nat Fyfe, Michael Walters and Cooper Simpson of the Dockers, and Dylan Grimes, Nathan Broad and Ben Miller of Richmond were handed fines for their part in the melee.
The win over Richmond took the Dockers to sixth spot in the standings in what was Fremantle's biggest win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 2015.