AFL Round 8: Follow the latest MRO and injury news across the weekend

A host of Swans and Magpies have paid the price for the price for a brawl sparked by the treatment of young sensation Nick Daicos.

Nic Newman has been suspended. Picture: Getty Images

Nine players have been fined for the melee sparked over the treatment of Collingwood’s young star Nick Daicos.

The AFL Match Review Panel handed out $10,000 in fines to five Swans and four Magpies for the first quarter all-in on Sunday which had started after Sydney physically targeted Daicos

Swans goalsneak Tom Papley copped an extra $500 after being fingered by MRP officer Michael Christian as being the “instigator” of the melee.

Papley received a total fine of $1500 fine ($2500 without an early plea) while the other offenders were docked $1000 each although Swans defender Tom McCartin had his fine raised to $1500 because it was his second melee/wrestling offence.

Tom Papley received the most expensive financial penalty. Picture: Michael Klein

Daicos’ direct opponent Ryan Clarke, forward Will Hayward and youngster Marc Sheather were the other Swans to be penalised while the Collingwood players who copped the $1000 fines were Brayden Manard, Isaac Quaynor, Josh Daicos and Brody Mihocek.

Meanwhile, North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin was fined $1000 for misconduct against Saints young gun Mattaes Phillipou.

Why Demons will challenge van Rooyen ban

Melbourne will challenge the two-match suspension handed to key forward Jacob van Rooyen after his spoiling effort which poleaxed Suns’ defender Charlie Ballard on Saturday night.

The Demons on Monday confirmed that they would take the suspension to the tribunal on Tuesday night in an attempt to clear their exciting young forward.

The incident was graded as careless conduct, high contact and high impact on Sunday, but Melbourne believes it has two avenues to have the decision tossed out or reduced to a one-match ban.

The Demons strongly believe the incident was a football act in which Van Rooyen desperately attempted to spoil Ballard as he followed team rules in not allowing an intercept mark.

While he did not have his eyes on the ball in the final steps as he charged towards the collision, they do not believe that removes his right to be involved in a football act.

The Demons could also contest the high grading of the incident, which came after Ballard was stretchered off the ground.

Gold Coast has cleared Ballard of any neck injury and he is likely to take the field this week.

So while he left the field the Demons could argue that he suffered no ongoing injury or concussion and the grading was too high given his likely participation against West Coast on Friday night.

Ballard was taken from the ground on a stretcher. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

If he is sidelined, the Demons would almost certainly turn to full-forward Ben Brown for Saturday’s clash against Hawthorn after the premiership spearhead booted three goals in the VFL.

Geelong will be without pressure forward Brad Close for Friday night’s blockbuster against Richmond after he was banned for a dangerous tackle on Crow Jordan Dawson, while Hawk Tyler Brockman also received a one-match suspension.

Brisbane champion Jonathan Brown said “it would be one of the worst decisions in tribunal history” if van Rooyen is banned.

“He has taken his eyes off the ball because he is trying to make a contest,” Brown said on Fox Footy.

“There is no over-aggression in it. He was hit in the head, we get that.

“But there was no concussion. It would be an absolute shocker if this kid was rubbed out because of that incident.”

Former Collingwood and Carlton star Dale Thomas said van Rooyen should be cleared.

“If he (van Rooyen) came in with a hooking, swinging motion and gets him (Ballard) with a fist to the head, no dramas. Give him three weeks,” Thomas said on Triple M.

“But he is making a genuine play on the ball. He just makes contact with his bicep.

“I don’t think he should (be suspended).”

St Kilda great Leigh Montagna agreed.

“The game will go too far (on head high contact) if he gets suspended for making a play on the ball,” Montagna said.

Ballard was cleared of any serious injury. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Ballard was taken from the ground on a stretcher.

The league will zero in on van Rooyen’s final five steps and in particular whether the young Demon took his eyes off the ball as he crashed into Ballard with an outstretched right arm.

But the Demons want to clear van Rooyen in the belief he made accidental and only glancing contact to Ballard’s head as part of a genuine attempt to spoil the ball.

The Demons are likely to use the tribunal’s decision to clear Richmond’s Tom Lynch of a three-game suspension for a similar incident against Western Bulldogs earlier in the season to bolster van Rooyen’s case.

Van Rooyen charged at Ballard from 20m away and made contact with the inside of his right arm to Ballard’s forehead. Ballard was stretchered off but the ground did not suffer a concussion in the incident.

The tribunal is set for a busy night on Tuesday with Carlton’s Nic Newman challenging a striking ban on Lachie Neale and Geelong’s Brad Close challenging a suspension for a dump tackle on Adelaide’s Jordan Dawson.

If Port Adelaide’s Junior Rioli is referred to the tribunal for an incident that concussed Essendon’s Jordan Ridley four cases could be heard on Tuesday night.

Blues defender rubbed out for ‘dog shot’ elbow

– Glenn McFarlane and Jay Clark

Carlton has suffered an MRO blow ahead of Saturday night’s crucial clash with Western Bulldogs after Nic Newman was banned for a week for striking Brisbane’s Lachie Neale.

Newman’s elbow connected with Neale’s face during the third quarter of Friday night’s game. It was graded intentional conduct, high contact and low impact, meaning he will miss the Bulldogs’ game.

The Blues will consider appealing the ban.

Carlton has lost three of its past four games and face a tough series of matches across the next month.

Lachie Neale reacts after the elbow.

A Brisbane player was heard on the broadcast calling Newman’s strike a “dog shot”.

An umpire paid an immediate free kick resulting in a shot on goal. Neale walked back on the mark feeling his sore jaw.

Carlton could fork out $10,000 to challenge at the tribunal in a bid to downgrade the force to negligible or contest the contact on the second blow.

The first blow makes contact with Neale’s chest first before his arm lifts upwards to Neale’s jaw.

Newman would likely have been lined up for a role on Bulldogs’ goal kicker Cody Weightman in the clash against the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

Originally published as AFL Round 8: Follow the latest MRO and injury news across the weekend