Shane Mumford’s tumultuous return to football has taken another turn for the worse, with the Greater Western Sydney ruckman set to come under the microscope of the Match Review Panel.
Mumford appeared to strike Sydney's George Hewett high during a practice match against the Swans on Friday morning.
Hewett went down and was awarded a free kick for high contact, but got up quickly and was able to take his kick.
The contact was made with an open palm to the side of Hewett’s head.
However, the punch-like action could land Mumford in trouble with the MRP with the league’s recent crackdown on punching.
Following a 2018 season that was marred by the shocking altercation between Andrew Gaff and Andrew Brayshaw, the AFL revealed that there would be a zero-tolerance policy on punches in 2019.
The league confirmed that players can be reported and suspended for incidents that occur during the series of unofficial scratch matches taking place around the AFL, and all sanctions will be served during the home and away season.
As a result, any suspension as a result of the contact with Hewett would add to the two games Mumford is already in line to miss due to a club-imposed suspension.
Mumford was suspended for two games by the Giants as a result of the ‘white powder’ snorting video that surfaced late last year.