AFL Finals 2023: All the latest on Jacob Weitering’s incident with Toby Greene and the MRO

Carlton was sweating on the MRO’s assessment of star defender Jacob Weitering’s incident with Toby Greene prior to their first final. Now they can breathe much easier.

Jacob Weitering is free to play. Picture: Getty Images

Carlton has been delivered a twin dose of good news with key defender Jacob Weitering escaping suspension and star wingman Blake Acres cleared of a broken collarbone on Monday.

Weitering had been facing MRO heat for his unnecessary contact to the left eye of opponent Toby Greene in the club’s loss to GWS on Sunday night.

Greene had even indicated if he had initiated that contact he would have been in trouble.

But the match review panel decided that instead of an intentional act, the contact was only careless.

It meant instead of missing the first final of his career Weitering was only fined $3000 for unnecessary and unreasonable contact to the eye region.

Weitering will be available to marshal the Carlton defence as the Blues attempt to win their first final since the Richmond elimination final in 2013.

The incident between Jacob Weitering and Toby Greene on Sunday.

The fleeting nature of the incident, in which he made contact with Greene’s left eye but quickly lifted his hand, clearly counted in his favour.

Weitering appeared to quickly lift his hand away from Greene’s face when he realised he had made contact as he tried to drag him off his Carlton teammate.

It came on a day when Acres was diagnosed with only deep bruising to his collarbone rather than a fracture after he was subbed off in the GWS game.

Coach Michael Voss had feared the worst but the scan results allow him a chance to play in Friday week’s game.

He will still need to get through training next week but a bruised collarbone is the kind of injury which can respond to pain-killing injections.

GWS small forward Toby Bedford has been handed a one-week ban for his high bump on Carlton’s Zac Fisher in a significant setback for the Giants’ finals hopes.

Bedford was trying to shepherd for his teammate Harry Himmelberg as he attempted a long goal in the GWS win that sealed their finals participation.

Weitering has escaped with a fine. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

But he caught Fisher high in an act that dropped the Blues defender to ground, with Bedford immediately realising the error and approaching Fisher to apologise as he slowly got to his feet.

Bedford was suspended this month for a tackle on Sydney’s Ollie Florent and while his brilliant forward pressure is critical to the Giants’ fortunes he will have to temper his approach.

The Giants might well attempt to get him off the charge at the tribunal given his importance as a small forward to the side.

Sydney star Chad Warner is lucky his ill-timed tackle on Melbourne defender Jake Bowey did not result in him hitting his head on the ground.

Warner pinned both arms and dumped Bowey in a tackle in the Demons’ victory that came perilously close to him smacking his head into the ground.

But a slow-motion angle on Seven’s telecast showed Bowey did not hit his head on the ground so it is unlikely he will be assessed for a reportable offence.