Adelaide skipper Taylor Walker’s AFL season is likely over after he was handed a two-game suspension for his sling tackle on GWS star Josh Kelly.
Walker was charged with rough conduct after knocking out Kelly with a heavy tackle in the third quarter of Saturday’s clash in Canberra.
AFL match review officer Michael Christian classified the tackle as careless contact with high impact.
“In this particular case I believe there are elements of a sling (tackle) … it was a dangerous tackle and then it came to a question of impact,” he told reporters.
“Clearly Josh Kelly was in a bad way … it took a long time for him to get from the ground.”
Adelaide, out of contention for the finals, have the option of challenging the ban for a tackle initially rewarded with holding the ball – that decision was reversed and Walker was penalised for a dangerous tackle when Kelly’s injury became apparent.
“We thought he executed well but obviously they reversed that decision,” Crows assistant Matthew Clarke told reporters before Christian’s verdict was announced.
“I think he just tried to tackle him pretty hard.
“Some (tackles) … are really challenging, it’s a split-second game and you have got players of different body shapes and sizes coming into contact and it’s fierce contact.
“There are going to be accidents in the game of footy … (but) if players get hurt then the players themselves have accepted there’s a duty of care responsibility.”
Walker was the only player suspended, with Clayton Oliver, Dan Hannebery, Dale Morris, Trent Dumont and Aidyn Johnson offered fines.
North Melbourne forward Jarrad Waite escaped with a $3000 sanction for his high bump on Western Bulldogs backman Jackson Trengove.
An incident involving Collingwood tagger Levi Greenwood, who targeted Dayne Zorko while the Brisbane midfielder was down on his haunches, was deemed to be of negligible impact and no charge was laid against the Magpie.
St Kilda defender Nathan Brown was earlier referred to the tribunal for his crude bump on Essendon’s Adam Saad, which is set to attract a season-ending ban.
Essendon’s Cale Hooker accepted a $1500 sanction for misconduct against St Kilda’s Daniel McKenzie.
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