Do not get me wrong, Pekin is a brilliant footballer who plays the game as it was intended.

He attacks the football hard and sets a strong example for the younger players in his Demon brigade.

I highly doubt he has ever taken a backwards step in his life and you always know he will give his all.

He is an obvious leader, well respected, and certainly a player you would like to have on your side.

But on Saturday he overstepped what is acceptable on a football field.

The Demons’ clash against Ararat was their final chance to gear up for what will be a massive finals campaign.

It was a match played at finals intensity and pace. 

He wanted to make a statement.

Unfortunately, Pekin collected Rat Harry Ganley with a bump that was late, and high.

No one likes to see the stars of the game rubbed out for finals, but Wednesday night’s panel had no choice.

Obviously the damage done to Ganley – which sees him unavailable for Sunday’s elimination final against Stawell – is a big contributor, but the fact video footage of the incident was available meant there was very little the defence could argue.

Pekin is by no means a thug.

His good record speaks for itself and is why a more severe ban was not imposed.

The defence argued contact was unavoidable, it argued the contact was not high, it argued Pekin did not have enough time to take alternate action, it argued Ganley contributed to the contact, and it argued Ganley’s concussion was caused by his head hitting the ground, rather than the initial contact.

The video refuted all of that.

Had the footage not been present, there would not have been much to go ahead with for the tribunal, and it would have become a ‘my word versus yours’ scenario.

If this is not an advertisement for why country football matches should be videoed, then what is?

Without it, decisions made from game to game, from league to league, will almost certainly remain frustratingly inconsistent.