Essendon captain Zach Merrett could miss next week’s Anzac Day clash with Collingwood after an incident on Saturday that will come under the microscope of the Match Review Officer.
With just under five minutes to play in Essendon’s 27-point win over Melbourne, Merrett appeared to rotate Melbourne’s Tom Sparrow into the Adelaide Oval turf with a bruising tackle.
Sparrow got to his feet and took his free kick, but the bigger penalty could come via the Match Review Officer findings on Sunday, given the penalties for dangerous tackles in recent times.
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If deemed to be a dangerous tackle, the incident could be graded as careless conduct with high contact and medium impact, resulting in a one-match ban.
The Tribunal guidelines empower the Match Review Officer to upgrade impact based on the potential to cause serious injury, regardless of the actual impact of the incident.
Will Day was one of two players suspended for a dangerous tackle last week, with Day receiving a two-game ban and failing to overturn it at the AFL Tribunal.
Gary Rohan was hit with a one-game ban for an incident in that Easter Monday clash with Hawthorn, with Geelong withdrawing its Tribunal appeal minutes before the panel sat to hear Hawthorn’s case for Day.
In both incidents, the player being tackled was not concussed, but impact was elevated due to the potential to cause injury.
When determining whether a tackle can be considered rough conduct, the Match Review Officer will consider if the tackle consists of more than one action, if it is of an inherently dangerous kind, the vulnerability of the player being tackled and if the player being slung, driven or rotated into the ground with excessive force.
“I think it was one action (but) I think the force may’ve been a little bit excessive in that instance and I think Tom Sparrow on this occasion is vulnerable,” former Hawthorn and Melbourne star Jordan Lewis told Fox Footy on Saturday night.
“We’re seeing players change actions, I think this is the action we’re trying to outlaw.”
Were Merrett to be suspended, it could set the stage for a high-profile AFL Tribunal appeal, with a clash against Collingwood on the line for the star midfielder.
