A HEAVY bump from Yarraville-Seddon Eagles veteran Clint Foreman on Hoppers Crossing full-back Chris Latella was the trigger for the player head count requested by Warriors captain Brad Murphy in Saturday’s controversial Western Region Football League division 1 game at Yarraville Oval.
Foreman was reported for the sickening collision, which left Latella concussed and in need of urgent medical attention.
Murphy described the aftermath of the exchange a “horrible” sight.
“When you see your mate lying there with his arms stiff in the air, he’s frothing at the mouth and they’re putting a neck brace on him and he’s getting into an ambulance, it’s quite scary to see,” he said.
“Chris is doing OK, he’s in hospital, he’s got all the feeling in his arms and legs and is moving around fine. He’s obviously not moving his neck too much because it’s stiff and sore.”
Foreman was reported for charging and was due to face the WRFL tribunal after the Weekly went to print.
Eagles coach David Connell defended Foreman, saying the actions of his player were reckless but not intended to be malicious.
“If was definitely not nice, it was definitely head high,” he said.
“But as for the charge of charging, I think it’s been made out that the bloke [Latella] had his head over the football and Foreman basically ran at him and has taken him out, which is not the case at all. The ball was there to be won.
“In fact, there was probably a milli-second between who got to the ball first – the difference was the Hoppers bloke got in a bit lower, had his head down and Foreman was a little bit careless, went in and didn’t get as low as he should have and he was clumsy.”
Foreman’s football career could ride on the decision handed down by the tribunal.
The Eagles’ second-most-prolific goalkicker has indicated he will hang up the boots at the end of the season.
With Yarraville-Seddon facing his former club Albion in the last round, it would make for a fitting end to an impressive career.
“If that chance is taken away from him … it would be a disappointing way for him to finish up,” Connell said.
“I know Clint Foreman and he’s not that kind of guy – he’s been playing WRFL football for a long time and he’s got a pretty clean record.
“You could see that he was showing remorse and he was concerned about the other player.
“It might’ve been a reportable incident – it was reckless and careless on Foreman’s behalf because the head is sacrosanct – but Foreman’s intention was to get the ball.
“The way he went for the ball was probably wrong and that’ll probably be what costs him in the end.”
