FREMANTLE star Nat Fyfe has praised the recent changes to the Match Review Panel that helped him escape with a fine for tripping Bulldog Koby Stevens.
Fyfe was reported by on-field umpire Matt Stevic after tripping Stevens during the Dockers’ 13-point win on Sunday. Fyfe avoided suspension after the MRP deemed the trip intentional body contact, but of low impact.
He can accept a $1000 fine with an early plea and is still eligible for this year's Brownlow Medal after changes to the MRP guidelines over the off-season saw carryover points scrapped.
MRP full statement: round seven
Fyfe told Channel Seven on Monday night he was nervous when he was first reported.
"It's never nice to be reported," Fyfe said.
"But I'm really happy with the findings and happy that I can move on. I think the new changes to the Match Review Panel are really pragmatic and they're designed specifically for cases like this."
Fyfe said he slipped on the Etihad Stadium surface and his actions weren't deliberate.
"It was a bit wet over on that outside," Fyfe said.
"We're trained so intensely to corral our opponents and not let them step around us. It was a reflex action on the back of a slip. There was no malicious intent."
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon told 6PR on Monday night that it was the right result.
"It's a good result, an accurate result, a fair result, the only result that could've happened in my view," Lyon said.
"Look, the MRP, it's always difficult to assess everything. But at the end of the day it's the outcome we were looking for and we all move on."
It was a busy day for Fremantle with veteran tagger Ryan Crowley facing an AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal in Melbourne on Monday. The hearing has already concluded but the result remains unknown. The AFL released a statement saying the Tribunal reserved its decision and will hand down its findings "as soon as practicable".
Fyfe said he sent a message of support to Crowley over the weekend.
"I sent him a text over the weekend and just echoed the thoughts of the rest of the group that we're really in Ryan's corner and support him either way," Fyfe said.
"It's a difficult place for him at the moment but we offer him our full support."
