Hugh Jackson to face MRO heat for kneeing Dayne Zorko
Hugh Jackson and Noah Balta have both escaped bans from the MRO after a knee to Dayne Zorko’s ribs and a high bump to Tom Stewart respectively.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Port Adelaide’s Hugh Jackson has escaped suspension despite kneeing Brisbane veteran Dayne Zorko on Saturday night as Noah Balta was slugged with a $10,000 fine for his rough conduct bump on Tom Stewart.
Jackson deliberately kneed Zorko in the Lions’ defeat of Port Adelaide while Brisbane’s defensive star was on the ground.
But while the AFL views those kinds of incidents seriously it was not a forceful action so he has escaped with a $3000 fine ($2000 with a guilty plea).
The league MRO officer Michael Christian would have had to assess the incident as intentional and medium impact to suspend Jackson instead of fine him.
He could have used the capacity to cause serious injury clause but it would be hard to argue Zorko was at risk of injury despite the poor look of the knee to the ribs.
So Jackson is available to take on West Coast next week.
Richmond’s Noah Balta was not suspended for his bump on Geelong’s Tom Stewart but is out of the next two games anyway because of his court-ordered curfew.
The MRO decided that his contact with Stewart is only low impact so fined him $10,000 but he can accept a $6250 fine with a guilty plea.
In theory being suspended for a week would be a better outcome because he would dodge a fine and is unavailable anyway.
Noah Balta and Tom Stewart come together in this collision.
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) July 5, 2025
📺 Watch #AFLCatsTigers LIVE on ch.504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/tEbIJrg77g
âœï¸ BLOG https://t.co/p0jpRccZfd
🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/pdJ9NE2mo3pic.twitter.com/S2cSKaMuSF
The MRO also assessed Nick Vlastuin’s bump on Geelong rival Patrick Dangerfield in the crushing Geelong victory.
But slow motion replays showed the hit was to Dangerfield’s body so Richmond’s veteran has no case to answer.
Originally published as Hugh Jackson to face MRO heat for kneeing Dayne Zorko
Scouting notes: Bombers, Pies-tied guns shine for Vic Metro
A trio of possible future Pies and a pair of Bombers NGA members have helped Vic Metro score its first win of the under 18 championships. See the full scouting notes here.
The real victims of AFL’s ‘terrible’ Next Generation Academies
With Indigenous player numbers declining across the AFL, Lions legend Chris Johnson is calling on the league to remodel the NGA system to have a national approach to Indigenous recruitment.