Gerard Whateley and David King are expecting St Kilda’s Nathan Brown to be referred directly to the tribunal for his late bump on Adam Saad.
Saad was forced from the ground on a stretcher and sat out the remainder of the game with concussion after the hit.
Whateley hopes Match Review Officer Michael Christian decides this bump is worthy of an intentional grading, but notes it’s unlikely.
“Michael Christian has been dogmatic on not grading bumps as intentional. He’s been dogmatic on that,” Whateley told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I wonder if the lateness of the bump will sway him towards intentional.
“If he doesn’t go with intentional, I suspect it’s going to end up as two weeks. If he gets it to intentional then it goes to the tribunal.
“Two weeks doesn’t feel quite enough.
Nathan Brown received a match day report following this bump on Adam Saad.#AFLDonsSaints pic.twitter.com/UahwyqY4xG
— AFL (@AFL) August 10, 2018
“I can’t understand the logic of going there are no intentional bumps and I’ve disagreed with Michael the whole way through on that. I accept that that’s the way he does it, but I absolutely disagree.”
Dual premiership player David King agrees, saying the hit was very different to the Ryan Burton on Shaun Higgins bump, which Christian graded as careless.
Will Burton get looked at for this bump? #AFLNorthHawks pic.twitter.com/R1QhvXiaE1
— 7AFL (@7AFL) April 22, 2018
“He was really strong on the Higgins bump, Burton on Higgins, that when he still had possession he’s entitled to make a decision to bump or to not tackle because he still had possession of the ball,” King said.
“(Christian) didn’t think that Burton picked off Higgins. I think he’ll have a different view of this one.”
“Saad handballed the ball and took three steps. That’s an eternity.
“He shouldn’t be expecting contact then. I think three weeks (is about right), two’s not enough.”
St Kilda face Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium next weekend.
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