Sydney star Isaac Heeney will be ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal after the MRO handed him a one-match ban for striking St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster.
The incident occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s match at Marvel Stadium, with Heeney collecting Webster high as he tried to gain separation to lead for a mark.
Webster was left with a bloodied nose as a result of the blow and the MRO graded the incident as intentional conduct that was high contact and low impact.
The Swans and Heeney could take the decision to the Tribunal where they could argue to have the week ban reduced to a fine, allowing him to play in Round 18 and ensuring he’d still be eligible for the Brownlow.
He’ll miss Sydney’s game against North Melbourne at the SCG if he accepts the decision.
Tom Morris thinks that the Swan could try and change the grading from intentional to careless, which would result in the suspension being overturned if the Tribunal agreed with his case.
Despite that potential argument, he thinks that the MRO made the right call to initially hand him a ban.
“I don’t think (he can escape suspension), not from the MRO anyway,” Morris said on SEN Breakfast.
“He might be able to argue at the Tribunal whether it’s a strike or not.
“He had a bloody nose, Jimmy Webster. So I think it’s pretty hard for him to get off on this.
“But there’s a reason why this is intentional and not careless under the current system.
“Last year I think this probably would have been careless. This year I think it’s intentional because the regulations have changed.
“It now reads, ‘In instances where a player intends to forcefully push or fend an opposition player off the ball, the strike will usually be graded and intentional rather than careless’.
“Intentional, high contact, low impact is one week and ineligible to win the Brownlow.
“If this was careless and low impact, it would be a fine and he would still be eligible. So maybe they could argue that it was careless and not intentional.
“But I think the MRO has no choice here and then with the Tribunal, I don’t know what they’re going to decide.”
Adelaide star Izak Rankine has also been slapped with a ban for his bump on Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich.
He’s set to miss four weeks for the incident that was graded as intentional conduct, high contact and severe impact.
“NO LOVE LOST” BETWEEN LIONS AND CROWS AFTER RANKINE BUMP AS KING CALLS FOR BIG BAN.