Cats skipper Patrick Dangerfield is in “trouble” for a dangerous tackle on Blues star Sam Walsh in Friday night’s clash at the MCG.
Dangerfield, playing in his first game back since Round 7 due to ongoing hamstring issues, in the opening minute of Friday’s game drove Walsh into the ground with his arms pinned, giving away a free kick.
While Walsh was able to play on unaffected, the act is likely to come under the microscope by the Match Review Officer.
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Fox Footy pundits feared Dangerfield could be facing a suspension,
“This has got all the elements of some issues for Danger, both the arms are locked away there,” Demons legend Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.
Tigers champion Jack Riewoldt added: “That’s trouble for mine, both arms are pinned and he dropped his body weight.”
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley meanwhile thinks it’ll be a “matter of how much contact (the MRO) was with the ground”.
Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph added MRO Michael Christian would “see red flags everywhere” when assessing the incident.
“I think the two factors he looks at: Is a player in a vulnerable position? And is there excessive force? I think it’s absolutely a vulnerable position because his (Walsh’s) arms are pinned and the excessive force is shown when his head bounces off the ground,” Ralph told Fox Footy at half-time.
“Some people would say Walsh exacerbated the contact and threw his head forward. I don’t think that’s the case – and he certainly couldn’t throw himself forward given those arms are pinned.
“So I think it’s much more likely to be a one-week ban.”
Geelong plays Essendon, Hawthorn and Collingwood over its next three weeks.