A night-out like no other for Crows star Ben Keays may take a sour turn in the coming days, with his fourth quarter tackle on Bomber Jye Caldwell likely to come under MRO scrutiny.

In the potential game of the season, Keays carried the Crows to an unforgettable two-point win at Marvel, dragging his side with five goals, two goal assists, 22 disposals, 12 score involvements, eight tackles, five clearances and 544 metres gained in one of the best performances this year.

Unfortunately, he could now be set for a stint on the sidelines for this tackle, which was deemed dangerous by the umpire live and forced Caldwell from the match with a HIA assessment required.

Caldwell fortunately passed his HIA, keeping him available to play next week, and significantly assisting Keays' case at the tribunal - ridding the tackle of its "severe" impact in what could've then been a three-week sanction.

Another factor which should fall in Keays' favour is the fact that only one arm was pinned, allowing the Bomber to brace his fall with his left hand and limiting the force of the head contact.

There doesn't appear to be a double action in the tackle, meaning the only argument for a suspension would be that the force of the tackle was "excessive".

This element could be marginal - while there is clearly no malice involved, the ball spills out early in the tackle and Caldwell is in somewhat of a vulnerable position, Keays would have to argue that he met the "duty of care" required to the best of his ability.

Ben Keays during the AFL match between Essendon and Adelaide, Round 4, 2022 (Photo by Cameron Grimes / Zero Digital Media

No matter the outcome, this incident is sure to spark further outrage over the weekend and into next week as the tribunal assess this tackle and a host of other incidents that may pop up over the nine matches.

โ€œIt's going to be one that's talked about, I'm sure. It's probably best we leave it at that,โ€ Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said regarding Keays' tackle.

โ€œWe look at these things and educate around it. We have a complete understanding of what we're trying to do as a league and we support that as far a protecting and looking after player welfare.

โ€œBut it was a confusing week. We educated one way then we had to come back and do a complete flip on that.โ€