Three-time Richmond premiership player Jack Riewoldt has gone into bat for former teammate Rhyan Mansell after being bumped by Blues defender Jordan Boyd, stating he didn’t like the “victim blaming” during last night’s tribunal hearing.Boyd’s punishment was downgraded from one week on the sidelines to a fine, with the Tribunal determining that the 25-year-old slowed his momentum down enough that his contact could be lowered from medium impact to low.
“The victim blaming, I didn’t like that last night – I’m a bit protective because he’s a Tiger and a Tassie boy as well, but I don’t think I was on my own. I think there was a few out there that thought: ‘Hang on a second, who’s on trial here?’” “It got so far out of hand that Mansell actually had a right of reply I felt, as that was as direct at the victim as I’ve ever heard at the tribunal,” Whateley said.