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Australian Teagan Levi suspended after red card at Perth SVNS
By Finn Morton
Young dynamo Teagan Levi will join older sister Maddison on the sidelines when Australia take the field for their final pool match at the Perth SVNS after receiving a three-match ban.
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Levi, who received Player of the Final honours after Australia’s drought-breaking win in Dubai last month, was sent off during the hosts’ shock loss to Great Britain on Friday night.
Australia had levelled the score at five-all after Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea cancelled out Rhona Lloyd’s earlier effort, but the hometown favourites’ fortunes soon took a turn for the worse.
As fireworks lit up the Perth night sky on Australia Day, Levi rushed up in defence to stop Emma Uren. But Levi’s purposeful tackle attempt was deemed to be high by referee Craig Chan.
Levi was sent off in the fifth minute. On Saturday morning, before day two gets underway at Perth’s HBF Park, the Aussies’ punishment has been released.
Following the red card, and after considering mitigating factors including Levi’s clean record at the judiciary, the Australian will miss both games on day two and their first match on Sunday.
That means Levi will miss the match against Canada just before midday on Saturday, as well as potential matchups in the quarter and semi-finals.
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Levi was found to have breached Law 9.13 (dangerous tackle) after making contact with the head of an opposing player. She was found to have met the threshold of a red card.
This is the Australian women’s sevens side’s third red card in as many tournaments after Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea (Dubai) and Maddison Levi (Cape Town) were sent off last month.
“We’ve been working on getting our tackle height down but I guess for Teags, she was going in with some really good intent and I’d never discourage her from the intent that she has,” Australia captain Charlotte Caslick told reporters.
“With the way that they’re policing the tackle laws now we have to make sure that last moment, we’re dipping into contact.
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“It might be a record I think. Three tournaments and three red cards.
“We say that courage is our currency and it’s the backbone of this team and working hard,” she said.
“The next part of that is probably just being a bit smarter and we can’t just be good athletes, we’ve got to be good footballers too.
“I think next steps forward is just learning from our mistakes. (Coach Tim Walsh) likes to say we’re either winning or we’re learning so we’ll definitely take a few things out of that.”
