AFL MRO round 8: The latest MRO updates from across the competition

The Swans will be forced into another defensive revamp, with Lewis Melican banned after his hit on Toby Bedford. Meanwhile, plenty of Hawks and Tigers pay the price for a melee.

Sydney will have to again revamp its defensive stocks with full back Lewis Melican hit with a three-week ban as 16 Hawthorn and Richmond players paid up for their Sunday afternoon melee.

And GWS captain Toby Greene’s fines tally across 13 seasons has crossed $45,000 with the star Giant hit with a $1875 melee fine from Sunday’s loss.

Melican’s high swinging arm on GWS tagger Toby Bedford did not concuss his opponent but saw him subbed out of the game with blurred vision.

Sydney coach Dean Cox was hopeful that Bedford dodging concussion could mean MRO boss Michael Christian assessed the incident as high impact instead of severe.

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Toby Bedford was subbed out after this incident. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

But Christian instead offered Melican a three-week ban that he can accept without going to the tribunal.

.Conor Nash’s hit on Gryan Miers was labelled as severe force after the Cats forward was concussed but so was Fremantle’s Patrick Voss on Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin despite the Tigers star avoiding concussion.

So Melican will miss games against Essendon, Carlton and Melbourne if he accepts the ban.

Sydney beat cross-town rival GWS with part-time forwards Joel Hamling and Aaron Francis both playing forward as Tom McCartin again played in defence.

Logan McDonald has a stress fracture in his fibula and Joel Amarty is a fortnight from a hamstring return so the Swans could consider Peter Ladhams after he kicked 2.3 in the VFL.

Coach Dean Cox defended him after the game and said he was hopeful Bedford made a quick recovery.

“Lewis has probably got an immaculate record (at the tribunal). The way he plays his footy, he isn’t malicious. He’s always been a ball player and that’s why we love having him at our footy club. That will play out in the next couple of days.

“You want to back your players in playing at a level that doesn’t overstep the mark.”

Brawl at the MCG

Richmond and Hawthorn players were involved in a series of spiteful clashes in the Hawks’ dominant victory as Tim Taranto set the scene by shoving over Hawks captain James Sicily after he tried to physically dominate Maurice Rioli.

MRO boss Christian handed fines to eight Hawks and eight Tigers, with Jack Buckley, Toby Greene and Dane Rampe also fined for melee involvement from Sunday’s clash.

MELKSHAM CLEARED DESPITE PUSH ON MCGOVERN, DEBUTANT HANDED BAN

Melbourne forward Jake Melksham has been cleared to take on Hawthorn next week despite the marking contest that saw opponent Jeremy McGovern concussed in a collision with teammate Harry Petty.

Melksham’s push on McGovern saw the Eagles best-and-fairest winner clash heads with Petty, who was also given a small shunt into the contest by Reuben Ginbey.

But Melksham’s eyes were on the ball, he used his forearm rather than arms to push McGovern, and he ended up marking the ball.

Slow motion footage of the incident also saw McGovern’s foot stepped on, which saw him tripping up and falling into the contest.

While Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell was suspended for three weeks for pushing opponent Liam O’Connell into the path of Tom Lynch, the incidents bore very little similarity.

Petty will miss the Hawks game in concussion protocols but Melksham is free to play.

An MRO explanation stated both Melksham and McGovern had their eyes on the ball.

“With his eyes on the ball, Melksham makes contact with McGovern’s back and simultaneously, Melksham makes contact with McGovern’s foot as he positions himself to take the mark, resulting in McGovern being put off balance and his head making contact with Petty’s back while Petty is contesting the mark.

“It was the view of the MRO that the contact from Melksham was not of a forceful nature and that having regard to all of the circumstances, it was not reasonably foreseeable that McGovern and Petty would make contact in the manner that occurred.”

Eagles debutante Bo Allan was handed a one-week suspension for the round-arm spoil on Melbourne star Jack Viney as he attempted to intercept the ball in the second half.

Allan never even looked at the ball and got Viney high, momentarily felling the Demons leader.

A medium-level force assessment means he will miss against Richmond alongside McGovern.

Port Adelaide’s in-form forward Willie Rioli escaped with a fine for his behind-the-play incident with Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale.

Dale was clipped by Rioli in an open-handed cuff to the head, with the Power forward handed a $1000 fine.

West Coast’s Harley Reid was handed a $1000 fine for striking Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor, while Connor Rozee was given a $1000 fine for striking Western Bulldog Laitham Vandermeer.

Originally published as AFL MRO round 8: The latest MRO updates from across the competition