AFL 2022: Patrick Cripps cleared after MRO rules on strong tackle
Patrick Cripps’ strong tackle on Adelaide’s Lachlan Murphy — which later saw the Crow subbed out of the contest — has been assessed and ruled on by the MRO.
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Brownlow favourite Patrick Cripps remains on track to win this year’s medal after the Carlton captain was cleared by the Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
While Cripps’ tackle on Adelaide’s Lachlan Murphy was scrutinised, it was not deemed to constitute a reportable offence.
Cripps was deemed the second-best player on the ground by Blues coach Michael Voss and Crows coach Matthew Nicks.
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The midfield warrior kicked two goals from 35 disposals, only outshone by mercurial forward Charlie Curnow (six goals).
Cripps could have as many as 16 Brownlow Medal votes after eight rounds and is likely to have polled in every game he has completed.
The 27-year-old holds a six-vote lead in the AFL Coaches’ Association player of the year award and is a $2.60 favourite for the Brownlow.
St Kilda’s Zak Jones was offered a $2000 fine for striking Melbourne ball hunter Clayton Oliver in the fourth quarter at the MCG on Sunday.
Key factor expected to clear Cripps tackle
Patrick Cripps’ Brownlow eligibility is expected to remain intact as the Blues sweat on the match review assessment of a tackle on Adelaide’s Lachie Murphy.
Murphy was subbed off after the tackle as he battles with the lingering fallout from neck surgery last year.
But for Cripps to be suspended he would need to be guilty of a reportable offence.
The match review will release its assessment on Monday afternoon but Cripps’ tackle did not seem to tick any of the boxes that have led to players like Jordan De Goey being suspended for dangerous tackles this season.
Cripps tackled Murphy and he landed heavily on his back despite attempting to break his fall with a free arm.
But dangerous tackles that result in suspensions are ones that see a player put his opponent in a vulnerable position or have a sling and rotate action.
Players who tackle with excessive force or have a dumping or double action as they drag opponents to the ground can also be suspended.
Cripps was not guilty of any of those incidents so the likely outcome would be assessing the act as a football accident.
As the MRO showed when it cleared GWS forward Jesse Hogan despite his high forearm fend concussing Geelong’s Jed Bews, the injury sustained is only relevant to the case if it is deemed to be a reportable act.
Carlton coach Michael Voss said he would be “staggered” if Voss was suspended given the fairness of the tackle.
“You’re probably asking the wrong person, it would be slightly biased, but geez, I’d be staggered if it goes any further, to be honest,” Voss said.
Murphy suffered a similar neck issue in the Adelaide v Port Adelaide game when he went off the ground after being felled by Sam Mayes in a hit that saw the Power utility handed a $2000 fine.
Jordan Dawson stepped up to kick the winning goal, with Murphy telling Code last month the spinal surgery means there are risks with him still playing AFL football.
““It’s even sometimes just walking up the stairs and I take the wrong step, if that jars my neck, it’s pain. I don’t have to be clotheslined right on the neck for it to be sore. I can get out of bed the wrong way.
“I don’t know what I’d be doing if I didn’t have footy. I’m living a dream. I know there’s risks, but there’s risks getting in the car and driving to work.”
Blues forward Jack Martin was subbed out at halftime with a calf issue that’ll be checked out on Monday.
“It’s calf at the moment, so we’ll assess that and how bad it is,” Voss said.
“We’re hoping it’s not too bad, but we’ll have to wait like we always do for Monday to tell us the true picture.”
It is the Blues’ best start to a season in 26 years with its 6-2 record the club’s best since 1996.
Charlie Curnow kicked six goals while fellow forward Harry McKay booted three in the solid win.
The Blues lost the final term after a blistering third quarter, but Voss said he was pleased with the display.
“We can keep looking under the rug for things that we need to improve, or we can focus on the things we’re doing really well,” he said.
“In some ways we got a bit of an audit of our game against Fremantle and we still felt like we were pretty good around the contest, and that’s something we’ve brought every single week.
“I can’t fault our players when it comes to that…the last couple of weeks we’ve been making some steady progress.”
Blue Zac Williams will be monitored this week after he appeared to cop an accidental boot to his shin during the second quarter.
He was on the turf for some time and was attended to by the trainers, but was able to run out the half.
The MRO is also likely to look at a first-quarter incident between Shane McAdam and Blue Nic Newman, in which the Crow appeared to get his opponent high and late in a marking contest.
Curnow crunches Crows with Cripps sideshow
Carlton stormed into the top four and Patrick Cripps continued his Brownlow Medal charge with authority after a crushing win over Adelaide edged the dormant Blues beast closer to eruption.
The rejuvenated Charlie Curnow also put on a key forward clinic, booting six goals, taking 10 marks (four contested) and amassing 21 disposals in a dominant display throughout.
Captain Cripps — leading the much-hyped ‘Carlton crew’ midfield — shook off early attention from young Adelaide midfielder Jackson Hately, producing another explosive performance that would likely leave him among the top vote-getters in the Brownlow count at this stage of the season.
The Crows were looking to bounce back from a lacklustre loss at the hands of Greater Western Sydney last week but were sluggish again on Sunday, looking lifeless in the third term in particular when they conceded six goals and added only two behinds to their own tally.
Adelaide’s season start had been encouraging with surprise wins over Port Adelaide, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs but the past fortnight comes as a rude reminder that rebuilds rarely progress linearly.
The Crows were belted around the ball when the game was up for grabs, calling into question the decision to drop experienced midfielder Matt Crouch against a powerful Blues engine room.
The so-called Carlton crew flexed its muscle, with Cripps finding ample support from co-stars Adam Cerra, Sam Walsh and Matthew Kennedy.
Carlton’s march up the ladder will again pump up demand for tickets on the Blues’ bandwagon, with the club’s massive supporter base finding voice after spending much of the last eight years at the opposite end of the ledger.
The club comes up against GWS, Sydney at home and Collingwood in three winnable matches before its round 12 bye.
CROW’S CRUDE HIT
Adelaide small forward Shane McAdam infuriated Carlton players and fans alike early in the first term with a late hit on Jordan Boyd, when the fourth-game Blue swept across defensive 50 to take a brave intercept mark.
McAdam, leading with his forearm and without eyes on the ball, struck Boyd from behind after making the contest late.
The 23-year-old Boyd bounced back up to his feet while teammates remonstrated — kicking off a chain that resulted in a Charlie Curnow goal — but the incident is likely to come under match review scrutiny with head protection an inflating issue for the AFL.
The crude act wasn’t dissimilar to Darcy Gardiner’s late hit on Josh Daicos in round five, however, when the Brisbane defender avoided suspension and instead copped a $2000 fine.
JACK-ATTACK ON HOLD
The talented Jack Martin had been winning the praise of coach Michael Voss in recent weeks but the crafty forward’s rollercoaster career could face another setback after he was subbed out of the game with a calf complaint.
The former Gold Coast Suns prodigy has been struck down by other calf injuries in recent seasons and likely faces a nervous wait for scans in the latest twist to an nine-year career.
CAPTAIN KEAYS
The Lions opted to delist Ben Keays at the end of the 2019 season but the midfielder continues to prove one club’s trash can be another club’s treasure.
The 25-year-old took the reins against Carlton with regular captain Rory Sloane (knee) out for the season and stand-in skipper Brodie Smith missing the contest through concussion, adding a new chapter to one of footy’s feel-good stories.
The ball winner continued his prolific campaign despite the Crows’ dirty day, claiming 29 disposals and laying six tackles.
SCOREBOARD
Blues: 3.3 9.6 15.12 17.14 (116)
Crows: 2.2 5.4 5.6 10.8 (68)
BEST
Blues: Curnow, Cripps, Docherty, Fisher, Kennedy, Cerra
Crows: Dawson, Laird, Keays, Berry, Schoenberg
GOALS
Blues: Curnow 6, McKay 3, Fisher 2, Cripps 2, Silvagni 2, Kennedy, Newnes
Crows: McAdam 2, Walker 2, Rachele, Cook, Dawson, Frampton, Himmelberg, Schoenberg
INJURIES
Blues: Martin (calf)
Crows: Lachie Murphy (neck)
UMPIRES
Stephens, Findlay, Rebeschini
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
3 Charlie Curnow
2 Patrick Cripps
1 Sam Docherty
Crows add two to squad as Covid-cover
Adelaide has taken two additional players to Melbourne for Sunday’s clash against Carlton as a Covid precaution.
The Crows have so far dodged any further cases after coach Matthew Nicks’ positive test on Thursday but goalsneak James Rowe and midfielder Luke Pedlar have made the trip to provide cover if others emerge.
Senior assistant Scott Burns will coach the side in Nicks’s absence.
Development coach Marco Bello will step up from the Crows’ SANFL team for Sunday’s game and take the reins of the defence, which usually is mentored by Burns.
“Nicksy is the only scratching and hopefully it stays that way,” Adelaide forwards coach James Rahilly told ABC Grandstand.
“We’ll take an extended squad just in case something pops up so we’re ready for it.
“Marco will step up, he took the meeting today and he’s a pretty experienced coach.”
More than two-thirds of Adelaide’s squad has already had Covid.
Many of them contracted it in February, forcing the abandonment of the club’s internal trial.
Second-year forward Riley Thilthorpe and SANFL coach Mick Godden were absent with Covid last round before emerging from protocols this week.
Along with Nicks, omitted midfielder Matt Crouch, Brodie Smith and Ned McHenry (both in concussed protocols) were out for Sunday’s game.
Rahilly said Crouch needed to hurt the opposition more when he had the ball.
“I think he’s still in our best 22,” he said.
“When Matt Crouch is playing his best footy, I think we’re a better team.
“He had a good meeting with Nicksy and (midfield coach) Nathan van Berlo on things he’s working on so hopefully he gets that done and is back in the team soon.”
Last week’s medical substitute, Harry Schoenberg, comes into the starting 22 with Will Hamill and Mitch Hinge.
Rahilly said Jackson Hately, Sam Berry and Schoenberg would all get midfield opportunities against the Blues.
Adelaide was well beaten by GWS at home last round, going down by 59 points in a game it was blitzed from the start and smashed in aerial and ground contests.
The Crows enter Sunday’s clash with a 3-4 record, while the improved Blues are 5-2 under new coach Michael Voss.
“When we’re competitive around the ball I think we’ve shown that it connects our whole game,” Rahilly said.
“Carlton are going to be a really big test with what Michael Voss has brought to them.”
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