AFL MRO round 8: The latest MRO updates from across the competition

Another defensive revamp looms at the Swans, with key defender Lewis Melican set for a certain ban after his hit on Toby Bedford, as some Hawks and Tigers prepare to pay the price for a melee.

Sydney will have to again revamp its defensive stocks with full back Lewis Melican likely to be hit with a three-week ban as Hawthorn and Richmond players prepare to pay up for their Sunday afternoon melee.

Melican’s high swinging arm on GWS tagger Toby Bedford did not concuss his opponent but saw him subbed out of the game with blurred vision.

Sydney coach Dean Cox will be hopeful that Bedford dodging concussion means MRO boss Michael Christian could assess the incident as high impact instead of severe.

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Toby Bedford was subbed out after this incident. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

It would mean a two-week ban instead of a three-week absence from the club’s backline.

But Christian has already shown in recent weeks he looks dimly at those kinds of incidents and is prepared to use the severe force grading in the table of offences.

Conor Nash’s hit on Gryan Miers was labelled as severe force after the Cats forward was concussed but so was Fremantle’s Patrick Voss on Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin despite the Tigers star avoiding concussion.

So Melican would seem more likely to be hit with a three-week ban which would see him missing games against Essendon, Carlton and Melbourne.

Sydney beat cross-town rival GWS with part-time forwards Joel Hamling and Aaron Francis both playing forward as Tom McCartin again played in defence.

Logan McDonald has a stress fracture in his fibula and Joel Amartey is a fortnight from a hamstring return so the Swans could consider Peter Ladhams after he kicked 2.3 in the VFL.

Coach Dean Cox defended him after the game and said he was hopeful Bedford made a quick recovery.

Brawl at the MCG

“Lewis has probably got an immaculate record (at the tribunal). The way he plays his footy, he isn’t malicious. He’s always been a ball player and that’s why we love having him at our footy club. That will play out in the next couple of days.

“You want to back your players in playing at a level that doesn’t overstep the mark.”

Richmond and Hawthorn players were involved in a series of spiteful clashes in the Hawks’ dominant victory as Tim Taranto set the scene by shoving over Hawks captain James Sicily after he tried to physically dominate Maurice Rioli.

MRO boss Christian will have to consider how many players he fines, with the likes of Nathan Broad, Josh Weddle, Jayden Short, Jarman Impey, Tony Nankervis and Nick Watson all involved.

MELKSHAM CLEARED DESPITE PUSH ON MCGOVERN, DEBUTANT HANDED BAN

Melbourne forward Jake Melksham has been cleared to take on Hawthorn next week despite the marking contest that saw opponent Jeremy McGovern concussed in a collision with teammate Harry Petty.

Melksham’s push on McGovern saw the Eagles best-and-fairest winner clash heads with Petty, who was also given a small shunt into the contest by Reuben Ginbey.

But Melksham’s eyes were on the ball, he used his forearm rather than arms to push McGovern, and he ended up marking the ball.

Slow motion footage of the incident also saw McGovern’s foot stepped on, which saw him tripping up and falling into the contest.

While Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell was suspended for three weeks for pushing opponent Liam O’Connell into the path of Tom Lynch, the incidents bore very little similarity.

Petty will miss the Hawks game in concussion protocols but Melksham is free to play.

An MRO explanation stated both Melksham and McGovern had their eyes on the ball.

“With his eyes on the ball, Melksham makes contact with McGovern’s back and simultaneously, Melksham makes contact with McGovern’s foot as he positions himself to take the mark, resulting in McGovern being put off balance and his head making contact with Petty’s back while Petty is contesting the mark.

“It was the view of the MRO that the contact from Melksham was not of a forceful nature and that having regard to all of the circumstances, it was not reasonably foreseeable that McGovern and Petty would make contact in the manner that occurred.”

Eagles debutante Bo Allan was handed a one-week suspension for the round-arm spoil on Melbourne star Jack Viney as he attempted to intercept the ball in the second half.

Allan never even looked at the ball and got Viney high, momentarily felling the Demons leader.

A medium-level force assessment means he will miss against Richmond alongside McGovern.

Port Adelaide’s in-form forward Willie Rioli escaped with a fine for his behind-the-play incident with Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale.

Dale was clipped by Rioli in an open-handed cuff to the head, with the Power forward handed a $1000 fine.

West Coast’s Harley Reid was handed a $1000 fine for striking Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor, while Connor Rozee was given a $1000 fine for striking Western Bulldog Laitham Vandermeer.