The Chairperson read the verdict: "We have considered all of the evidence of the various witnesses and on the balance we find the charge that has been laid is proven and that the player Evans is guilty of the charges laid."

The audible gasps confirmed the reaction of the spectators. Basher McGee rose and made a further submission: "Mr Evans is a player who has never been reported, let alone suspended. If he is suspended, his club will suffer greatly going into the finals, and he will suffer personally from a financial point of view. In my submission it would be sufficient to impose a fine."

The Chairman replied: "We have considered the question of penalty and in the Tribunal’s view the offence is extremely serious, particularly given the fact that the player seems to have deemed it fit to blame an innocent player, Mr McLaren, and shows no remorse for his actions. Player Evans is a role model for young supporters and has brought the game into disrepute. Under those circumstances the penalty should reflect these facts and the player will be suspended for the next six matches in which his club participates."

Later that night, in a pub in Carlton, Bluey McLaren sat in a darkened rear booth with three teammates. Nursing his fourth beer, he could not stop grinning. He described a party he had attended in the pre-season, where Bomber Evans had attracted the attention of McLaren’s girlfriend at the time. When she had left with Evans in the early hours of the morning, McLaren had vowed revenge…

"Keep your bloody voice down," one of the teammates cautioned, "do you want the whole world to know?"