Melbourne forward Kade Chandler has been offered a two-match suspension for a dangerous tackle that concussed West Coast defender Luke Foley on Sunday evening.
Chandler pinned the arms of Foley late in the fourth quarter of the Demons’ 74-point win over the lowly Eagles, with the West Coast defender unable to break his fall. Although there was no double motion, Foley was concussed.
Demon Kade Chandler has been banned for this tackle on Eagle Luke FoleyCredit: AFL Photos
The AFL’s match review officer (MRO) graded the incident as careless conduct, high impact and high contact, offering Chandler a two-game ban with an early plea.
Chandler appeared shocked after the incident, with Foley awarded a free kick for in the back due to the forward momentum of the dumping tackle. The 22-year-old defender took several minutes to leave the field in the hands of the Eagles’ medical staff afterwards, and initially lay motionless on the Optus Stadium deck.
The AFL tribunal will also hear two cases this week after Richmond challenged midfielder Marlion Pickett’s one-game suspension, while Sydney will attempt to overturn midfielder James Rowbottom’s ban for a bump on Essendon’s Zach Merrett.
Pickett bumped Hawk Dylan Moore in the second quarter of Saturday’s match the MCG.Credit: AFL Photos
The Tigers will challenge Pickett’s ban for rough conduct after the MRO initially graded the two-time premiership player’s bump on Hawthorn forward Dylan Moore as careless conduct, with medium impact and high contact.
Moore was not concussed in the incident and played out the match as Richmond defeated the Hawks by 23 points. High bumps are automatically graded as medium impact under new MRO guidelines.
The Swans will head to the tribunal after Rowbottom was also charged with rough conduct after he laid a front-on bump on Essendon midfielder Merrett during the second quarter of the Swans’ 58-point win on Saturday night.
The MRO graded the incident as careless conduct with medium impact and high contact, leading to a one-match sanction. Merrett was also not concussed.
The MRO offered a one-match ban to West Coast forward Liam Ryan for his bump on Melbourne defender Jake Bowey on Sunday evening.
Ryan collected Bowey’s head with his left shoulder in the third quarter as Bowey was leaning down attempting to gather the ball. The lively Eagles forward appeared to overrun the ball and elected to bump instead, although Bowey was able to play out the game.
The MRO graded the incident as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, resulting in a one-week sanction being offered.
Young Bomber faces lengthy stint on the sidelines, while Blue escapes Achilles injury
Essendon midfielder Nik Cox will have surgery and is set to miss an extended period of time with a foot injury.
Essendon utility Nik Cox may miss the rest of the year with a foot injury.Credit: AFL Photos
Cox, 20, suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot when kicking during a practice match against the Swans on Saturday afternoon.
The Bombers confirmed on Monday evening that Cox would “see a foot and ankle surgeon for an opinion”, but did not set a timeline for his return.
Essendon executive general manager of football Josh Mahoney said Cox’s injury severity was still unclear, although Lisfranc injuries are normally long-term setbacks.
“It is likely he will be sidelined for several weeks as a result of the Lisfranc injury, which is disappointing for Nik but we will know more in the coming days,” Mahoney said.
Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell may still play this weekend against the Tigers after injuring his shoulder in a courageous collision with Swans defender Tom McCartin on Sunday night. Scans confirmed Caldwell had injured his AC joint in the clash, which was a rare highlight for the Bombers in their dismal loss.
“As such, we will wait to see how Jye’s shoulder injury settles over the coming days before we determine his availability for selection this weekend for the Dreamtime at the ’G blockbuster,” Mahoney said.
Elsewhere, Hawthorn may lose forward Jack Gunston for up to six weeks after he suffered an ankle injury in the Hawks’ loss to Richmond on Saturday afternoon.
Gunston landed on his ankle as the quarter time siren sounded and attempted to return to the game after the break, but was ultimately subbed out of the match.
Scans on Monday showed he suffered a medial ligament injury and will miss the Hawks’ next match against the Brisbane Lions in Launceston this Sunday, and is expected to miss between two and six weeks. His prognosis is unclear as swelling is still to subside and his return will depend on the speed with which he can regain confidence in his ankle.
Meanwhile, Carlton defender Zac Williams has not ruptured his Achilles as first feared, but will still miss 10-12 weeks with a high-grade calf strain.
Williams came from the field late in the first term during Carlton’s 30-point win against the Giants on Sunday afternoon.
The former Giant appeared visibly emotional when doctors assessed his injury on the bench, having ruptured his Achilles in 2018 and only recently missing round seven against North Melbourne due to Achilles soreness. He was subbed out of the game at quarter time.
However, scans on Monday revealed a calf strain instead.
“He’s just really disappointed,” Carlton coach Michael Voss said post-match on Sunday, when the extent of the injury was still unclear.
“He’s had a really great pre-season and he’s started the season really well for us,” he said.
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