St Kilda rookie Anthony Caminiti is likely to spend the coming weeks of the season on the sidelines after an off-the-ball hit on Collingwood defender Nathan Murphy, who has since entered the AFL's concussion protocols.
The incident took place during Sunday's clash between the Saints and Magpies, with Murphy seen to first strike Caminiti in the chest before the first-year forward turned and retaliated with a swung arm.
Footage of the incident appears to show Caminiti's forearm/elbow strike Murphy high, prompting the Collingwood player to fall to the ground and remain on the turf for some time.
A visibly angered Murphy eventually made his way to the interchange bench for further assessment and would remain on the sidelines, with Collingwood confirming post-game that their defender has been required to enter the league's concussion protocols and now faces a minimum 12-day stint in recovery.
Nathan Murphy went down after this incident with Caminiti. Anything in it?
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Collingwood says Nathan Murphy will miss Anzac Day with concussion. It doesnโt help Caminiti at all at the MRO. It is the latest in a long line of concussions for Murphy. Not sure how that factors into the grading. Caminiti reacted to a push but clearly hit Murphy high @FOXFOOTY pic.twitter.com/CazN8JbubF
— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) April 16, 2023
The result of Caminiti's strike is likely to have the Saints forward facing multiple weeks out due to suspension, with the AFL's Match Review Officer to hand down their verdict on Monday evening.
A contact grading of "high" is likely to ensue, with the assessment of the conduct and impact gradings set to heavily dictate the length of the charge.
With the incident taking place away from the action of where the ball is being played, a conduct grading of "intentional" is likely to be considered, a result that would raise Caminiti's potential suspension.
If the MRO views the strike as intentional with high contact and high impact, Caminiti will be handed a three-game suspension. Should the level of impact be seen as "severe" - a potential outcome due to Murphy's diagnosed concussion - Caminiti will be sent directly to the AFL Tribunal and spend at least four weeks out of action.
A careless conduct reading would still see Caminiti face the AFL Tribunal if the impact grading is severe and the contact grading is high, with a three-week minimum suspension handed down.
St Kilda are scheduled to face Carlton, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne and Adelaide across the next month of their fixture.
