Former Steven Baker is free to play again. Picture: Nicole Garmston Source: Herald Sun
FORMER St Kilda hard man Steven Baker is free to play football again after having his life-time ban overturned.
The one-time AFL tagger had been banned for life after a suspension in a practice match last month resulted in him exceeding the number of suspended matches allowed for players in lower levels of the game.
But Baker and Sorrento won their appeal tonight when the charge was upheld, allowing the 32-year-old to resume playing.
Sorrento president Garry Woodhams said Baker was delighted with the decision.
"I think it is his first win at a tribunal ever," Woodhams said.
"We had to put up $5500 to put the appeal in, which is pretty ridiculous. On the evidence, you would have to say that we wouldn't have put the appeal in if we didn't think we had a good shot.
"Steve is really pleased with the decision, and so is the club."
Baker, who played 203 games with the Saints from 1999-2011, had originally been suspended for six weeks for rough play after a Red Hill player was left with a broken jaw. But he protested his innocence and was determined to fight the penalty.
Under Victorian Country Football League rules, if a player is suspended for 16 matches over the course of their career, they are banned nation-wide for life.
For players coming out of the AFL system, their number of weeks is halved.
Baker was suspended for a total of 28 weeks in the AFL, so his figure was reduced to 14. If the six-week ban stood, he would not have been able to play again.
Baker, who had a number of high profile suspensions in his time at St Kilda, including a nine-match ban on four separate charges after a stoush with Geelong's Steve Johnson in 2010, will have to wait an extra week to make his comeback to the game.
Sorrento has a bye this week, so he will resume for the Sharks on April 20.
Woodhams said: "It's a good result, we have had a good start to the season and we can only get better with Steve in the team.
"He has played over 200 games of league footy and most players have had enough by then. But he wants to keep on playing and wants to play with his old mate from St Kilda, Troy Schwarze."
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