Christian was appointed the inaugural match review officer at the start of 2018 by then football operations boss Steve Hocking after the tribunal system was overhauled,replacing the match review panel in what was portrayed as a move to gain consistency in decision-making.
Hocking and Christian agreed it would likely be for a five-year term,with Christian having now completed four seasons. Industry sources say he is keen to continue at least for a fifth but has yet to meet with Scott. The AFL was contacted for comment.
It’s a role that by its very nature attracts considerable club and public attention. Judging by talkback radio,club supporters are more often than not unfavourable in their analysis. It can also become all-consuming for four days,particularly if there are a raft of incidents beginning in a Thursday night game. There is video to break down,discussions with football operations staff and considerable thinking time for what,if any,penalty should be handed down.
Christian also does not have the benefit of interviewing the impacted player or witnesses. And what he may base his call on can change within days,therefore sparking more public comment.
That was the casewith Toby Greene’s elbow to the throat of Patrick Dangerfield in round 21. Christian gave Greene a two-match ban the day after Dangerfield had spent the night in hospital. Greene appealed and,by the time the case was heard,Dangerfield was back at training and ready to play.The suspension was cut to one match.
Under Christian,players are now left in no doubt as to where they stand on the bump. If they opt to bump rather than tackle and an opponent is hit in the head,punishment will come.