Port Adelaide defender Dan Houston has been whacked with a massive suspension following a front-on bump against Adelaide's Izak Rankine.

Rankine was running with the flight of the ball before being collected by Houston and was stretchered from the field.

The Crows matchwinner was hit high and left concussed, prompting the Match Review Officer (MRO) to step in and sideline the Power defender.

The MRO graded the incident as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

Houston will be sent straight to the Tribunal and could miss four weeks of football.

If that were the case, the Power will be without their All-Australian for the entirety of the finals series, unless they make the grand final.

Eight other players received the attention from the MRO, resulting in a hefty fine pool, totalling to $30,000.

Giants defender Lachie Ash also copped a one-match ban for his dangerous tackle on Fremantle's Hayden Young.

The MRO saw the incident as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

Ash also copped a fine for staging and was offered a $1,875 fine ($1,250 early plea).

Melbourne pair Jack Viney (rough conduct) and Jacob van Rooyen (striking) also received financial penalties as well as Collingwood's Patrick Lipinski (tripping), Geelong's Max Holmes (umpire contact) and St Kilda's Hunter Clark (umpire contact).

1 COMMENT

  1. Watching the footage, it can be clearly seen that:
    huston sees that the ball is going to rankine.
    Rankin is taking the ball with facing houson (he is front-on to huston).
    huston has no way of getting to the ball before rankine takes it.
    huston runs straight at a stationary Rankin and takes a “bump position of posture” after Rankine takes the ball…..
    Huston shirtfronts Rankine after a 10 to 15 metre run up… (Rankine is stationary).

    To put that into context.
    shirtfronting someone has been a reportable offence for decades
    Concussing someone has brought a penalty regardless of the act that causes it.
    Front-on contact is an “instant free kick” (particularly without intent of “getting the ball”).

    Yet no free kick was given for the shirtfront where a player went down, clearly concussed.
    Rather – an arbitrary free kick was given to port – amongst all the “interactions in the following melee – a free was “picked out” in port’s favour..

    And to compare:
    Rankine was suspended for 4 weeks for a “stop and prop” bump (no “run up”).

    Therefore the afl needs to satisfactorily explain:
    Why was a shirtfront not penalised?
    Why was font on contact (without eyes on the ball or intent to get the ball) not penalised?
    Why was the game not instantly stopped?
    … in short, why did the umpired fail in the basic duty to protect the player who is playing the ball?

    Once they have that done (don’t hold your breath) they can explain how this can happen in the light of dixon previously striking Rankine ….. and also explain the consistent targeting (rough play) directed at Rankine for the game leading up to the shirtfront?

    The afl needs to also explain this in the light of it’s “commitment” to head injuries and the dangers of concussion….. and the comment that “the umpiring’s as good as it ever was”……

    Note – the “MRO” has called this “careless”……. no doubt so was Tyson’s ear munching….

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