Brisbane forward Lincoln McCarthy faces a nervous wait, with the AFL’s Match Review Officer set to scrutinise a jumper punch during the Lions-Tigers clash.
As Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry prepared to line up for a set-shot at goal in the first quarter of Thursday night’s clash at the Gabba, McCarthy and Richmond veteran Kamdyn McIntosh tangled off the ball near Brisbane’s goalsquare.
McCarthy was holding McIntosh’s jumper before his right hand appeared to make contact with the Tigers player’s chin.
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Should MRO Michael Christian deem McCarthy’s strike a reportable offence, it would likely be graded as intentional conduct and high contact, with low impact equating to a one-game ban and medium impact a two-match suspension.
Fox Footy host Sarah Jones said McCarthy’s strike was “silly”, while Hawks legend Jason Dunstall added: “He has to get a week. He just punched a guy in the chin. You have to get a week minimum.”
NCA NewsWire reporter Ronny Lerner wrote on Twitter: “I don’t care if he had a bit of McIntosh’s jumper while doing it, if the league is fair dinkum, an act like that gets weeks.”
Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph said McCarthy was likely to miss a week.
“It would seem a pretty cut and dry suspension,” Ralph told Fox Footy.
McCarthy has been a mainstay of Brisbane’s best 22 since being traded from Geelong, missing just two games in four and a half seasons.
“For a player that had kicked one game in four weeks, it’s poorly timed. He’s been a favourite of the coach, but certuanly hasn’t been in amazing form,” Ralph said.
