RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace and North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley have voiced their objections at the prospect of an off-field player tribunal to deal with player indiscretions.

The suggestion was made by Melbourne captain David Neitz, who said he felt that a system mirroring the tribunal could be used to deal with off-field dramas. “I think each club knows there own set of circumstances better than anyone else,” Wallace said.

Neitz’s suggestions regarding off-field player issues came in a week where Richmond captain Kane Johnson was forced to suspend himself for a game, after being arrested for being drunk in a public place. The skipper was also fined $5000.

Wallace insisted he was happy with the way the issue had been dealt with.

“We’ve left that behind us now and we’re just looking forward to the game and getting on with life. I think right from the outset, Kane was very strong in his own views. We basically had our own leadership group handle things,” Wallace said.

Wallace’s coaching counterpart Laidley also said that off-field incidents should be dealt with by the club.

“We have a code of conduct that our players live by and they know the consequences if they don’t behave in the best interests of themselves, their families and the North Melbourne football club,” Laidley said.

Neither coach seemed overly concerned by the issue of “tunneling tactics”, after St. Kilda raised concerns that Sydney defender Craig Bolton has tried to take Nick Riewoldt’s legs from underneath him during their round one match.

“Your key forwards would know more about it than what the coaches would. It’s never been something that I’ve sat back and noticed that it’s a major issue in the game but I think that if someone brings it to attention then it’s up to the decision makers to see where it goes from there,” Wallace said.

Laidley on the other hand, took the opportunity to highlight the plight of the defender.

“My concern is for the poor old defender. How’s he going? It’s all about the forwards and kicking goals but then you don’t want to make the game dangerous,” Laidley said.