TAYLOR Duryea is clear to play in the VFL Grand Final, should Footscray qualify, after having his three-match ban reduced to just one game at the Tribunal on Wednesday night.
Duryea, a two-time premiership player at Hawthorn, announced last month that the 2025 season will be his last.
The 34-year-old had hoped to play out the season with Footscray in the VFL, but those plans appeared to be scuppered on Monday when he was handed a three-match ban for rough conduct in last Saturday’s qualifying final.
With the Bulldogs through to a preliminary final, Duryea needed to reduce the ban to one game in order to play in the Grand Final, or his career would be over.
And he was successful at the VFL Tribunal on Wednesday night, with his one-week ban meaning he will miss the preliminary final but be available for the Grand Final, should the Bulldogs make it.
The Bulldogs successfully argued Duryea’s charge down from intentional conduct to careless as well as from high impact to medium.
He was initially offered a four-week ban, reduced to three with an early guilty plea, but will now miss just one match.
Duryea was involved in an off-the-ball incident with Frankston’s Bailey Lambert in the first quarter of the Bulldogs’ huge qualifying final win at Mission Whitten Oval last weekend.
The incident was only partially picked up by the broadcast cameras, but Frankston players could be seen remonstrating with Duryea while Lambert lay on the turf.
Lambert was eventually helped to his feet and walked from the ground in the hands of trainers.
The Bulldogs and Southport progressed to the preliminary finals with wins last Saturday, while Box Hill will play Brisbane and Frankston will take on Casey in the semi-finals this weekend.
