Jimmy Webster flattens Jy Simpkin with high bump in practice match

A St Kilda veteran has flattened Jy Simpkin with a brutal bump that left AFL legends questioning whether he should receive a gigantic penalty. WATCH the incident here.

Players react after Jimmy Webster’s huge bump.

St Kilda veteran Jimmy Webster can expect to miss at least a quarter of the season for his brutal hip-and-shoulder on Jy Simpkin as North Melbourne premiership star David King called for an extraordinary 10-week AFL ban.

The greats of the game came out in concert calling for a heavy ban for Webster, who can expect to be referred directly to the tribunal for a severe impact hit.

Simpkin was kicking the ball deep at Moorabbin Oval when Webster jumped off the ground in a late and high collision that floored the Roos co-captain.

Simpkin was twice concussed last season and while the Roos have 13 days until their round 1 clash against GWS he must be in significant doubt.

North Melbourne confirmed he was in the concussion protocols post-match, with assistant coach Xavier Clarke hopeful he might be available for the Giants clash but leaving the decision in the hands of the club’s medical staff.

St Kilda said Webster was remorseful for the hit and would accept any AFL punishment with assistant coach Corey Enright saying the club’s thoughts were with Simpkin.

Port Adelaide star Sam Powell Pepper was last week suspended for four weeks by the tribunal in part by new guidelines which reference evolving community standards.

Webster can expect at least a five or six-week ban and in the new AFL landscape nothing is off the table as the league assesses the hit.

Jy Simpkin looks to be in a bad way after a late hit from Jimmy Webster.

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Jy Simpkin comes from the ground. Pic: Michael Klein

The league is yet to lock in its concussion protocols for the 2024 season but the Herald Sun understands the league will retain its 12-day minimum return-to-play protocol.

Webster will miss a large chunk of the season, with All Australian Jack Sinclair unlikely to face Geelong in round 1.

He is working back from a calf injury but with a five-day break leading from round 1 against Geelong until round 2 he is more likely to return the following week against Collingwood.

King said after witnessing the hit 10 weeks was the right penalty.

Ten weeks. Simple as that. I just hope Jy Simpkin is ok. Just so unnecessary. I hope we aren’t still having this conversation anymore in ‘24.”

Richmond premiership star Jack Riewoldt told Fox Footy he felt sick after watching Simpkin’s head rock back and felt 5-6 weeks was appropriate.

“I think the AFL will come down with a pretty strong hand. They need to set the scene early on with these things. We saw Sam Powell Pepper last week. This is worse. He has chosen to bump, he has left his feet, he has chosen to bump to the head and the snap back of the head, I feel sick watching this. To hear he’s had issues in the past, you have only got to look back a couple of weeks, Angus Brayshaw was in this situation. Five or six is probably the right deal.

Clarke said Simpkin, concussed in June and July last year, had pulled up well considering the circumstances.

“I just saw him really brieftly then and he seemed fine. He will enter concussion protocols from here and we will let our doctors and medical team take care of him from here. We know what he has to go through to put his hand up to hopefully be available for round 1.

“Our medical team does an amazing job. They will make the decisions about what is the best intersts of Jy. We look forward to seeing him hopefully out there in round 1 but we will wait and see.”

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley labelled Webster’s action as at least twice as bad as Sam Powell-Pepper’s hit on Keane.

He said the tribunal’s decision to hand Powell-Pepper a four-week ban meant they faced a difficult decision to assess Webster’s hit.

For mine this is one of the issues of hedging SPP’s action at 4 weeks. Webster action was at least twice as bad in my view. Does that mean it’s an 8 week penalty?

— Nathan Buckley (@ncb_cfc) March 3, 2024

Webster is likely to reach out to express his regret to Simpkin, with Enright saying it was out of character for the stalwart defender.

“The incident is for the AFL to look at and we will see what unfolds from there. No doubt, he’s shown some remorse and our thoughts are with the North Melbourne player in Simpkin. Hopefully he’s going to be OK. We will deal with what comes out of it from there.

“He is a great person, he’s had a long time in the game and as we know with football it’s one step here, one step there. It’s a really fast game and faster than ever. We can only take Jimmy for the person he is and he’s been a great character and a great servant for our club.”

MATCH NOTES: SAINTS EDGE ROOS AT MOORABBIN

Ross Lyon is a glass-half full man.

So as the St Kilda coach watched on when injury and certain suspension altered his round 1 team against Geelong, Lyon would have concentrated on the silver lining.

Jimmy Webster will be suspended for weeks after his bump on Jy Simpkin and Dougal Howard limped off with four minutes left with a left hamstring concern.

And yet for Lyon as his Saints poured on 28 set shots in the 19-point victory over a valiant North Melbourne, there was still so much to admire.

As the Roos closed late - with five goals on the bounce at one stage in the second half - it was Arie Schoenmaker who pumped the ball long for Cooper Sharman’s huge goalsquare leap.

Pick 62 Schoenmaker was so dominant in the VFL last week he got an AFL berth and while Hugo Garcia and Darcy Wilson seem round 1 locks the long-kicking late draft pick held his own.

He turned the ball over multiple times attempting risky options but as Mitch Owens dominated the first half the St Kilda kids were everywhere.

Ross Lyon addresses his troops. Picture: Getty Images

Wilson moves with such speed and authority that he seems everywhere on the ground and after 24 possessions the sky is his limit.

Liam Henry’s late goal to seal the deal was more evidence that he and Riley Bonner will effortlessly slot into Lyon’s best 22.

Bonner will be needed alongside Liam Stocker and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera now Webster is gone and Sinclair’s return is likely delayed but he could scarcely have been more impressive with 30 possessions and 737 metres gained.

With the forward line clicking (two goals to all of Max King, Sharman, Owens and Tim Membrey) Lyon has firepower when this time last year King and Membrey were hobbled.

HOWARD HAMSTRUNG

St Kilda will bring back Josh Battle and consider recalling back-up defender Zaine Cordy after confirming full back Dougal Howard was likely to miss time with a hamstring injury.

Howard limped off with a left hamstring injury with only four minutes remaining in the club’s 19-point victory over North Melbourne.

Despite the timing of Howard’s injury St Kilda assistant coach Corey Enright said the club had enough defensive depth.

Dougal Howard is set to miss some AFL football. Picture: Getty Images

“It is a hamstring injury and what that is and how bad, we will get it scanned,” he said.

“He is one who has had a really good pre-season and if it is a few weeks hopefully he can get back quite quickly.

“(Cordy) can do everything for us, he’s the jack of all trades, he played some ruck last year but he’s trained all season as a defender so if Dougal misses time we do have a replacement.”

CO-CAPTAIN NO CERTAINTY TO PLAY

North Melbourne had declared co-captain Luke McDonald no certainty to win a spot in defence against round 1 opponent GWS as the new-look Roos went down fighting on Sunday.

The Roos had chances to snatch a rare victory against St Kilda at Moorabbin and despite conceding 29 shots still drew exciting performances from plenty of youngsters and off-season additions.

Zane Duursma and Colby McKercher will make round 1 debuts after Duursma’s eye-catching display while the backline held up at times with Kallan Dawson, Bigoa Nyuon and Toby Pink all handed big roles.

Ex-Carlton defender Zac Fisher and former Sydney wingman Dylan Stephens also impressed after the Roos landed them in trades.

McDonald tore his hamstring tendon late last season and Corr suffered a high-end ankle injury in December.

Luke McDonald won’t be handed his spot in round 1. Picture: Getty Images

While the pair are normally first-choice defenders, assistant coach Xavier Clarke said they were no certainty to take on GWS.

The pair played in a VFL practice match against Sandringham on Sunday night and will likely play another game in the VFL next weekend.

“It’s an interesting one because they are great players and one is our captain and one has a lot of backline experience,” Clarke said.

“So they will play three quarters today and potentially next week in a VFL game. They will be available for round 1 but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be walkup starts.

“The guys who have done the work in the pre-season are doing a pretty good job at the moment. If they can get more games under their belt and come in when they are ready, it will be a hard decision in a few weeks time. (Luke) is a great leader of our footy club. He has had a long recovery with that hamstring tendon. The more games he plays, when he comes back in (to the senior side) we get a great “L Mac” and a great leader, and it’s only going to be better for us.”

ROOS CLUES

When Callum Coleman Jones roved the centre square tap and booted a tumbling goal all the way from the centre of Moorabbin, it seemed like it was North Melbourne’s day.

As it turned out St Kilda on as they kicked with the last-term breeze in front of just under 8000 fans.

But like Lyon, Alastair Clarkson would have seen so many signs of life in his club’s final hitout after a strong performance against Collingwood last week.

Colby McKercher’s credentials are well advertised but this time it was fellow top five pick Zane Duursma who put his name up in lights.

Duursma impressed for North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

The No.4 overall selection put his head in the hole to win an early free kick for a first-quarter goal and in finishing with two majors and 14 possessions seemed totally at home on an AFL field.

Lock him in for round 1 and McKercher was quieter (17 touches off half back) he released Harry Sheezel to win 32 midfield possessions.

TRADE VALUE

When the Roos gave up an end-of-first-round priority pick for Sydney wingman Dylan Stephens and 21 and 25 for Zac Fisher (and pick 17) it seemed an awful lot for players with some flaws.

Yet the early signs from the experienced duo were spectacular.

Stephens racked it up and gave the Roos leading forwards the best possible chance with perfectly weighted passes.

Half back Fisher gave up two early marks in a heartbeat to Mitch Owens but then couldn’t stop finding the ball, finishing with 36 touches and 668 metres gained.

It’s only early days but with Darcy Tucker also winning plenty of football the Roos at least have some players in their middle tier to stand up when the kids don’t fire.

Originally published as Jimmy Webster flattens Jy Simpkin with high bump in practice match