Richmond co-skipper Toby Nankervis is likely headed straight to the Tribunal after committing a heavy bump that concussed Sydney defender Jake Lloyd on Thursday night.
Nankervis played admirably on the night for the Tigers, however, his almost-certain three-plus-week absence somewhat soured an otherwise rousing Richmond win to keep its season alive, as the Tigers ran over the top of John Longmire's Swans in the second half.
During the second quarter of action at the MCG, Richmond's three-time premiership ruckman elected to bump Lloyd, who had already disposed of the ball, subsequently heavily collecting the side of his head with the hefty force of his left shoulder.
The incident left Lloyd grounded for a number of seconds before the medical cart was ultimately brought onto the field.
The dependable Swans defender opted against boarding the cart, instead jogging off the field with the assistance of trainers, before being swiftly ruled out of the remainder of Thursday night's contest by Sydney's medical team.
Lloyd failed his head injury assessment upon being diagnosed with a concussion, ruling him out of not only the rest of the game but Sydney's Round 18 bout with the Western Bulldogs, too.
Appearing onย Fox Footy post-game to report on Nankervis' likely MRO fate, Jon Ralph claimed Richmond's reliable ruckman is 'certain' to be referred directly to the Tribunal.
"I think Toby Nankervis is certain to be sent straight to the Tribunal for a suspension of three or more matches for the late hit that, let's face it, concussed Jake Lloyd," Ralph said on Thursday evening.
"It was significantly late, it made clear shoulder-to-head contact, and it concussed his rival, just as Jordan De Goey was sent straight to the Tribunal for the hit that concussed Elijah Hewett.
"The MRO guidelines would say (the act was) 'severe' because of the look of the hit and the concussion it caused, it's high, and it's careless, [the ban should be] three or more weeks.
"Look, he's a Richmond co-captain, he's trying to throw his weight around, but the issues of ill-discipline have plagued this club for many, many years."
"I think Toby Nankervis is certain to be sent straight to tribunal."@RalphyHeraldSun breaks down Nankervis' contact with Lloyd.
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Nankervis' referral straight to the Tribunal is likely to be confirmed on Friday evening.
The Tigers play the West Coast Eagles next weekend, before matchups with Hawthorn and Melbourne as they try and keep their season afloat following Thursday night's win.