AFL round 23: All the latest MRO news and results
Dan Houston is staring down the prospect of a missed final series after he was sent directly to the tribunal after a massive hit on Izak Rankine in Saturday night’s Showdown.
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Port Adelaide star playmaker Dan Houston could miss out on a potential Grand Final if the Power make it after he was sent straight to the tribunal for his high bump on Saturday night.
Houston is facing a four or five-match ban which means he may have also played his last game for the club as he weighs up a move home to Victoria in the trade period.
The All-Australian half back was considering Melbourne but is looking at other options amid the on and off-field issues at the Demons after the Herald Sun revealed on Friday the trade had fallen over.
Houston will face the tribunal on Tuesday night where the AFL will push for a four or five-match ban for the bump which levelled Adelaide’s Izak Rankine in the Power’s Showdown win at Adelaide Oval.
The heavy hit was graded as careless conduct, high contact and severe impact after match review officer Michael Christian assessed extra camera angles of the incident on Sunday.
Rankine’s head cannons into the ground as part of the tackle.
The minimum four-match suspension is a devastating blow for Houston who may have to sit out at least three finals and a major setback for Port which will miss one of their best ball users in September.
In the exchange period Port will ask for two picks in the teens or one early first-round draft pick in exchange for 27-year-old if he is traded to a Melbourne club such as Collingwood.
But any trade looks difficult because Port will demand for a prized haul in return and Collingwood does not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
The Power can seal a top-two spot and home qualifying final with an away win over Fremantle in Perth on Sunday afternoon in Round 24.
Coach Ken Hinkley passed on his well wishes to Rankine after the match through Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks and said Houston was a fair footballer and top character.
“Once he (Houston) cools down there will be a moment (of reflection),” Hinkley said.
“He’s a really fair player, he’s an outstanding person.
“Anyone who’s been involved in those type of situations I’m sure ... they know what’s going on. They feel the consequence of what’s happened.
“He’ll wait and see what’s delivered to him and he’ll move on from there.
“He’s a really, really good person. I can’t say it enough. And I know people will sit there and go, ‘I don’t care whether he’s a really, really good person’.
“I do. I care about him. He’s a fantastic bloke.”
Rankine was substituted out of the game with concussion after the Houston bump. The Crows’ matchwinner will miss the Round 24 clash against Sydney Swans at the SCG on Saturday night because of the concussion protocols.
Houston, who has averaged 23 disposals across 22 matches this season, is contracted until the end of 2027 after signing a bumper five-year contract extension in 2022.
Originally published as AFL round 23: All the latest MRO news and results
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