St Kilda defender returns from a seven-week suspension to barrage of boos from North Melbourne fans in Saturday’s clash

St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster returned from his seven-week suspension on Saturday and North Melbourne fans were not happy to see him. This was evident with the sound of boos from them the moment he stepped on to the field of play.

Webster was suspended in a pre-season match in early March for an assault on North Melbourne's Jy Simpkin. This is the longest suspension sentence any player has served in six seasons in the AFL. The AFL initially wanted an eight-match ban but St Kilda appealed and the ban came down to seven.

After the hearing, Webster said:

‘‘I wish to reiterate my remorse and again apologize to Jy for my actions.”

“I will take this time on the sidelines to reflect on my actions and work hard to keep it out of my game.”

“I understand how bad concussions are and the need to stamp them out of the game. The first time I watched it back I felt pretty sick about it.” Webster said.

Simpkin missed the first round of the season battling a concussion as a result of the bump. This was his third concussion in 12 months.

After what turned out to be a landmark case where AFL showed their commitment to protecting its players, Adrian Anderson, St Kilda's lawyer and former football operations boss of the AFL, believed the league's action to be excessive. Stating that punishing Webster's carelessness with a similar sentence as West Coast Eagle's player Andrew Gaff for his off-the-ball punch during a match against Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw was unnecessary.

What is proposed is a massive, sudden shift in sanction that is out of whack with the evolution over time,” Anderson said.

“There is a very significant line between intentional and careless. It’s not necessary to pick him [Webster] out and pick a sanction that is out of whack to get a message through.”

The barrage of boos from the crowd led Webster to miss a kick and hand North Melbourne's Tom Powell a shot on goal.

Youngster Darcy Wilson puts in a good shift to end St Kilda's winless run.

Tensions were high between the players in the early quarter.

North Melbourne led by 12 points in the first quarter but goals by Wilson, Sinclair, Hill, Hayes and a host of others turned the tide in the saint's favor.

Darcy Wilson who was a nominee for the Rising Star nomination in round six, picked up 21 disposals and scored three goals against the Roos.

He was one of the best aerobic runners in the 2023 AFL Draft class and recorded the second fastest 2km time trial at the Combine in October with a 5:52.

In the third quarter, North Melbourne managed to cut the margin to 21 points but at the end they lost the game 103- 65.

The kangaroos remain bottom of the ladder with no win to their name this season while St Kilda sit at 13th.