GOLD Coast young gun Ava Usher is now ineligible to win the 2026 Telstra AFLW Rising Star award and will miss this week's clash against Greater Western Sydney after her one-match ban for rough conduct was upheld at the AFLW Tribunal.
Usher was cited for rough conduct after an incident involving Richmond's Bec Miller that was initially graded as careless, high contact and medium impact.
The Suns unsuccessfully tried to argue that the contact was caused by circumstances outside of Usher's control and that the grading of the charge should be low, rather than medium.
The Suns argued that Miller was pushed forward by defender Niamh McLaughlin, which contributed to her unexpected movement forwards.
Adrian Anderson, who represented Usher, highlighted that she was entitled to bump and that she got as low as she reasonably could, slowed down and moved in a way that would reduce the impact.
The Suns also pointed to the fact that Miller did not require immediate on-field assessment and has no concussion concerns following the incident. Miller's medical report also stated that she took some time getting up but this was due to fatigue and frustration from losing a close match.
"It is not in dispute that Usher elected to bump, nor that she made high contact with Miller. She argues that she falls within the exception to the deeming provision because the forceful contact to Miller's head was caused by circumstances outside her control which could not reasonably be foreseen. We do not accept that argument," Tribunal Chair Jeff Gleeson KC said.
"Miller was bent over and tried to gather the loose ball when Usher elected to bump and when she effected the bump, her opponent was close behind her. It was reasonably foreseeable that Miller would remain low, or go lower to her knees, in her attempt to gather the ball.
"It was reasonably foreseeable that Miller's opponent would make contact with her in a way that made her go lower or to her knees. In any event, we find that Miller's head was not appreciably lower at the moment of impact, compared to where it was when Usher elected to bump.
"It is argued that in the alternative that the impact should be graded as low and not medium. The Tribunal guidelines state that any high bump which constitutes rough conduct that has the potential to cause injury will usually be graded at a minimum as medium impact, even though the extent of the actual physical impact may be low.
"No injury was suffered and the actual physical impact here was certainly not highly forceful, but neither was it glancing. It caused Miller's head to recoil and for her to then fall fully to the ground. We are comfortably satisfied that the high bump had the potential to cause injury, whether by way of a concussion or facial injury. We find that the impact should be graded consistently with what the guidelines state will usually be the case in these circumstances, namely medium impact."
Usher was widely viewed as a frontrunner for the Rising Star award this year in a stacked field that also includes Olivia Wolmarans, Ash Centra and Jordyn S. Allen, but she is now ineligible to claim the title and the $20,000 prize money that comes with it.
This has happened before in the men's competition, when both Harley Reid and Sam Darcy were deemed ineligible for the Rising Star award in 2024 due to their own respective bans, leaving Geelong's Ollie Dempsey to claim the award that year.
The Suns will now be without Usher for the clash against the Giants in round 12 as they press their claims for a top four berth.
