Pinching, stomping and hair pulling

Ryan Crowley is in trouble for allegedly pinching Brent Harvey.

THE last two AFL players to be charged for pinching both hail from Fremantle.

Ryan Crowley was nabbed today for pinching North Melbourne's Brent Harvey, while in 2010 serial pest Hayden Ballantyne accepted a $900 fine for pinching Gary Ablett.

But there has been no shortage of bizarre match review panel cases analysed in between.

Docker fined for pinching

Hair pulling, headbutting, stomping, blood wiping, staging and making an obscene gesture (read: flipping the bird) have all cost players cash or premiership matches.

Last year there were 10 peculiar examples alone.

Carlton skipper Marc Murphy was forced to cough up $900 when he raised his middle finger at the Collingwood cheer squad – an act no doubt plenty of his peers have thought about.

Crowley was pinged for staging two months later, accepting his reprimand, while Brent Harvey was slugged $1950 for pushing an opponent in the path of an umpire.

But it was arguably Joel Selwood who copped the most eyebrow-raising charge.

When the Cats skipper pushed brother Adam Selwood down he was given a reprimand for making contact with an injured player.

Will Minson – two months after copping a one-week club ban for a personal sledge at Danyle Pearce – was given a week for stomping on Kieren Jack. But he had that downgraded to a reprimand at the tribunal.

Channel 7 Clip of Will Minson stomping on Sydney's Kieren Jack. Picture: 7 Channel Source:

Josh Hunt wrote out a cheque for $1350 after he stood on Eddie Betts' hand, while Jeremy Howe somehow escaped with a reprimand after wiping his blood on the jumper of Port's Tom Jonas.

Holding the ball against Eddie Betts, while Josh Hunt stands on his hand. Carlton v Geelong. Etihad Stadium. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source:

That charge brought up memories of Nathan Buckley's infamous incident in 2002, when he copped a week for smearing blood on tagger Cameron Ling's jumper.

13/7/2002. Nathan Buckley wipes blood on Cameron Ling's jumper. Collingwood v Geelong. MCG. Picture: CHANNEL TEN. Video grab. Source:

Brett Deledio also paid $1950 for abusing a young umpire, while Alex Silvagni missed the first game of this season after headbutting Jared Petrenko in last year's semi-final.

Chris Judd was slugged four matches last year and bypassed the match review panel for his chicken-wing tackle on Leigh Adams, but perhaps Ballantyne and Ash McGrath's cases sit best alongside Crowley's alleged pinching antics.

Carlton v North Melbourne. Etihad Stadium. Chris Judd pulls Leigh Adams' arm back in the 2nd quarter. Tackle. Chicken wing. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source:

That pair was both fined $900 for pulling the hair of opponents. Yep, McGrath tugged Saint Tom Simpkin's hair in the 2011 NAB Cup, while Harry O'Brien's dreadlocks were too tempting for Ballantyne to leave alone in 2010.