Patrick Dangerfield’s tackle was forceful enough to warrant suspension, writes Jay Clark

A FEW inches could have cost Patrick Dangerfield back-to-back Brownlow Medals and the MRP made the right - if unpopular - call, writes Jay Clark.

Patrick Dangerfield in action against Carlton.

A FEW inches could have cost Patrick Dangerfield back-to-back Brownlow Medals.

Had his tackle on Matthew Kreuzer been a little lower and wrapped around his hips, rather than up around the ruckman’s abdomen and rib cage, “Danger” wouldn’t be in this mess.

But in what has been a big year for difficult Brownlow Medal calls, the match review panel got it absolutely right when it made the unpopular decision to suspend the brilliant Cat for toppling Kreuzer over in a way that thrust his upper body, and by extension his head, dangerously into the turf.

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It wasn’t a spear or sling tackle, or a double action, but it was a forceful thrust that caused Kreuzer to face plant the deck.

Subsequently, the panel members had two crucial questions to answer. Was the force excessive? And was Kreuzer in a vulnerable position?

Tick, tick.

Patrick Dangerfield reacts after tackling Matthew Kreuzer.

The force had to be deemed excessive because Kreuzer was concussed in the incident. His night was done there and then and we know that the medical report is king in the MRP caper.

As Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos said, there was no wriggle room on that front.

And there can be no doubt Kreuzer was vulnerable in the tackle because his arms were pinned by his side. He had no way of bracing his fall.

So when Dangerfield lingered in the tackle, and essentially thumped the big man into the turf, the Geelong superstar was always rolling the dice.

Geez, it’s a fine line.

But Dangerfield is one of the most powerful players in the game. He does everything with serious gusto.

We see the trademark explosion and strength every time he bursts away from a clearance or flies for a mark.

If Kreuzer had played out the night, or Danger’s tackle hung lower around his hips, and the force and momentum of the tackle didn’t plough his head into the turf, all would be sweet.

People might think the ruling is soft or unfair, but the reality is the game has changed to better protect players’ heads. It had to. We need it to.

Patrick Dangerfield leaves Simmonds Stadium after his one-week suspension. Picture: Mark Wilson

The match review panel made a courageous call in a way.

When they lined up the ducks, it might have been tempting to let off Dangerfield due to his superstar status.

Wayne Carey expected him to escape sanction on these grounds. He said this kind of thing always happens.

No one wants a Brownlow Medal count shrouded in controversy, certainly not league bosses.

And now Dangerfield will almost certainly drape the medal — that could have otherwise been his — around the neck of Richmond superstar Dustin Martin, who has moved into a $1.18 favourite.

Whether Geelong appeals or not, Dangerfield will handle the situation, of course, with typical class.

The Brownlow might be out of reach, but he can be happy another, more important, medal isn’t.