Top country footy club outraged over ‘unacceptable’ coward punch suspension

A top country football club is “aggrieved” it had no grounds to appeal a four-match-suspension for a coward punch on one of its young players.

Albury’s Michael Duncan last week received a four-match by an independent tribunal chairman after pleading guilty to striking 19-year old Wangaratta player Xavier Laverty.

Vision of the ugly incident from the Murray Football Netball League clash on Saturday August 23 shows Duncan run across to target Laverty behind the play and land a punch on the Magpies player.

Watch every match of the 2025 Toyota AFL Finals Series before the Grand Final, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Laverty passed a concussion test and suffered no other serious injuries, therefore he didn’t miss any games.

Wangaratta considered appealing the sentence, but had no right to under competition rules. Only the charged player or his club are able to appeal.

“As a club we are aggrieved about the process that there is no avenue for appeal by the club or the governing bodies being the Ovens and Murray League and AFL Victoria,” Wangaratta Football and Netball Club president Jon Henry said in a statement to foxfooty.com.au.

“This gives us no ability to support our player and family members who are distraught with this incident which is unacceptable by community standards.”

Albury’s Michael Duncan last week received a four-match by an independent tribunal chairman after pleading guilty to striking Wangaratta’s Xavier Laverty, 19. Source: FOX SPORTS

Duncan was placed on report by the field umpire for the strike around eight minutes into the fourth quarter after tempers flared on the day.

The act carried a grading of intentional, contact head high and impact high.

As it was Albury’s last game of the season, Duncan will miss the first four games of the 2026 campaign.

Laverty kicked four goals in Wangaratta’s elimination final win over North Albury last weekend to see the Magpies advance to the second week of the finals.

Click here to read article