The AFL's Match Review Officer could be in for another big call following Friday's elimination final between Carlton and Sydney, with Blues forward Jack Martin potentially gaining some attention from the MRO for a swinging arm that made high contact on Swan Nick Blakey.
The incident occurred in the opening quarter of the match at the MCG, with Blakey over the ball in gaining possession as Martin approached from the side with a tackle motion.
His outstretched right arm swung across and into Blakey, with Martin's wrist/forearm crashing into Blakey's head and leaving the Swans backman dazed.
Blakey was soon in the hands of club trainers and made his way off the field and down into Sydney's changerooms for further assessment. He was soon cleared to return to play.
Blakey was a standout for the Swans in their narrow defeat, with Carlton coach Michael Voss, who was in the vicinity of the incident on the sidelines, speaking on the defender's impact after the win.
"It happened right in front of me. I didn't actually see the incident outside of just what happened. I thought (Blakey) was a bit winded," Voss said post-game.
"Obviously came back on pretty strong, Blakey played that second half alright. So he obviously played it out pretty well."
Martin's actions are likely to gain the attention of the MRO, who will need to decide whether Martin's action warrants a reportable offence, and if so what gradings those actions fall under.
If viewed as a striking charge, the gradings for conduct and contact would likely be viewed as 'careless' and 'high' respectively, with the level of impact to decide the outcome of the sanction.
Nick Blakey headed to the rooms following this incident.#AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/XOA9XplDaG
— AFL (@AFL) September 8, 2023
A grading of 'low' impact would see Martin slapped with a fine, with any higher grading leading to a suspension.
If charged, Martin is likely to either receive a 'medium' impact grading - which would result in a one-game suspension - or a grading of 'low' impact, which would mean he would be free to play in Carlton's clash with Melbourne next week.
A one-game suspension would open the door for another Tribunal case after Collingwood's Brayden Maynard was referred directly to the Tribunal for a minimum of three matches for his hit on Melbourne's Jacob van Rooyen.
The Blues would look to fight the charge against Martin in the hope of freeing the small forward, while a decision to accept a suspension would see him sidelined for a finals encounter against Melbourne next week.
The MRO will release their findings from the elimination final on Saturday evening.
