AFL News: Butler verdict in amid dangerous tackle controversy, Dees' King's Birthday blow

St Kilda forward Dan Butler has received a one-match ban after a dangerous tackle on Sydney’s Nick Blakey their win at the SCG.

It comes after AFL legend Jason Dunstall said he would be ‘horrified’ if Butler received a suspension.

Blakey was taken off after the seemingly innocuous hit, but passed the AFL’s mandatory concussion tests, with Joel Amartey subbed in for him due to his toe injury rather than the head knock.

But the incident was deemed a dangerous tackle, graded careless conduct, medium impact and high contact by Match Review Officer Michael Christian, ruling him out of the Saints’ clash with Richmond next week unless they can overturn the ban at the Tribunal.

According to the rules, a player is in a vulnerable position if they have their arms pinned with little opportunity to protect themselves and this looks like applying in the Butler tackle.

“Sometimes you have got to respect the conditions and how difficult it is. That ball is like soap, then you’ve got these bodies flying around,” Saints coach Ross Lyon said.

“We hit the scoreboard pretty well in the second half. In the last quarter, I thought we dominated, didn’t we, when we kicked 5.4.”

Dunstall said he would be dumbfounded if Butler was banned.

“I’d be really concerned with where the game’s going if he gets rubbed out for that tackle, I’d be horrified,” he said on Fox Footy after the game.

“If you ask him to do anything other than what he did, it’s impossible.

“He’s a small bloke, do you think he’s just going to hold him when they’re running at that pace? I don’t get what the options are other than not tackle him. And I would have thought if we say don’t tackle then we might as well give up the game.”

Dan Butler. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Sydney star Lance Franklin has made a habit throughout his 350 AFL matches of standing up in the big moments, but when the game against St Kilda was up for grabs it was their spearhead, Max King, that stood taller.

The 202cm King made the most of his opportunities in slippery conditions to finish with a game-high three goals, including the sealer in the dying stages that secured a 14-point triumph for the Saints.

King has now booted 11 goals in three matches since returning from a shoulder reconstruction and hamstring injury that sidelined him for the opening nine rounds.

The Saints’ first win over the Swans at the SCG since 2009  entrenches them in the top eight even with their key forward King still to reach peak form and fitness, according to Lyon.

“It’s a pretty good return, isn’t it, in these conditions, and I thought he had half chances that he almost took. He’s still building into it,” Lyon said.

“He’s a very good player. I’m just used to very good players playing very good footy. That’s why we talk about them, we rate them.

“But maybe I’m underestimating a shoulder reconstruction and eight months out.

“What’s he played, four games or something in 12 months, if you take the off-season? So there’s probably some upside there.”

King sent a scare through the Saints camp when he copped a heavy knock and limped from the field with the game still on the line in the final term.

But the 22-year-old returned to the contest shortly after as the Saints locked the ball in their forward half and created the pressure and opportunities that eventually led to his third goal.

“It was just a big clash,” Lyon said. “He’s fatigued, isn’t he? He runs to exhaustion. He’s a big powerful athlete.”

At the other end, Franklin marked his 350th match with another milestone when his first goal of the night took him to 1058 career goals and into outright fourth place on the list of all-time VFL/AFL goalkickers.

The four-time Coleman medallist booted another shortly after as the Swans slotted five-in-a-row in the second term with Franklin looking set to tear the game apart.

“It’s a hostile environment, big emotional night for the Swans footy club,” Lyon said. “Lance, I thought he was significant and then we got on top of their team and we sort of nullified him to a point. So that was from our end pleasing.

“That threat never goes, does it? That threat of Lance erupting. 

“He’s a very, very special player. Will we see anything like him again? I’m not sure.”

Bombers star Wright to return

Star forward Peter Wright has been named to make his long-awaited return from injury in Essendon’s high-stakes clash with Carlton.

Wright, last season’s leading goal kicker and best-and-fairest winner, has been sidelined all season with a shoulder injury suffered days before round one.

Coach Brad Scott earlier described the 26-year-old as “more likely than unlikely” to play and Wright was named at full-forward on Thursday evening for Sunday’s game at the MCG.

“He had medical clearance last week and he trained well. We erred on the side of caution,” Scott told reporters.

“The shoulder has been medically clear for a while. His strength is above baseline from where it was previously, even before the injury.

“And the extra week of match practice, conditioning, and blowing the cobwebs out (has helped prepare him).”

Dylan Shiel (ankle) is out after he was substituted against North Melbourne.

The under-fire Blues have axed Zac Fisher and Lochie O’Brien but regain Marc Pittonet while recalled pair Jack Martin and Ed Curnow have been named in the starting 18.

West Coast will hand mid-season recruit Ryan Maric his AFL debut against Adelaide among six forced changes as the Eagles battle an unprecedented injury crisis.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Maric was pick No.1 in last week’s rookie draft, and the 18-year-old forward has been rushed into the senior side after booting one goal from five disposals for the WAFL Eagles last Sunday.

Skipper Luke Shuey, forward Jack Darling and Samo Petrevski-Seton provide some injury relief.

Richmond co-captain Dylan Grimes has been named to face Fremantle at Optus Stadium despite a shoulder knock, while fellow defender Nick Vlastuin returns after missing two games with a corked leg.

Sam Mitchell’s Hawthorn will be boosted by captain James Sicily’s return from suspension from suspension against Brisbane.

The Lions regain Jack Payne from concussion and have recalled Deven Robertson and Jaxon Prior, but former skipper Dayne Zorko (suspended) will miss the clash. Keidean Coleman and Ryan Lester were dropped.

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Demons’ Oliver out of blockbuster with infected blister

Melbourne star Clayton Oliver has been ruled out of the Demons’ King’s Birthday blockbuster against Collingwood as he remains in hospital with an infected blister.

The Brownlow medal contender was expected to return for Monday’s match at the MCG after missing the last two games with a hamstring strain.

But a blister on his foot has caused the ace midfielder significant issues and Demons coach Simon Goodwin said Oliver will stay in hospital until at least Sunday.

“I did promise he was going to play, didn’t I? But I am going to have to go back on that word because he’s definitely not playing,” Goodwin said on Friday.

“He’s still in hospital with an infected foot so that was pretty serious at the time, the infection, so he’ll probably end up with five days in hospital.

“He’s obviously on some pretty strong antibiotics to try and get the infection under control.

“It’s all pretty positive, but it needs to be continued the next few days in hospital.

“We’re pretty hopeful that once he gets through that period it’s going to be a pretty fast transition back.

“Like all infections, these things happen and we’re going to work our way through it and come out the other side better.”

The ladder-leading Magpies are on an eight-game winning streak but will be without their own star midfielder with Jordan De Goey serving a three-game suspension for his high bump on West Coast youngster Elijah Hewett.

Lycett prepared for English assignment

Port Adelaide’s old-fashioned Scott Lycett is being backed to counter the Western Bulldogs’ new-age Tim English in Friday night’s pivotal battle of the rucks.

Lycett, the 30-year-old, is renowned for his bash-and-crash style while the 25-year-old English is a modern master of mobility in the ruck position.

Power coach Ken Hinkley had his eye on the crucial nature of their duel at Marvel Stadium a week ago when substituting Lycett out of the Power’s 55-point rout of Hawthorn after just 49 per cent of game time.

The reason? To keep him fresh for English.

“Obviously he’s in great shape for this week based on the fact that we took him out with about 40 minutes to go last week,” Hinkley said of Lycett.

“We’re very much aware that English has been in great form and that Scott has got a big job and we need to make sure we gave him the best chance – and that certainly has given him the best chance.

“We were comfortable enough to know that Scott, when he’s freshest, is when we get the best Scott.”

Hinkley described English as another midfielder, given his running and ball-winning capacities – last week, the big Dog collected career-high disposals (27) and marks (12) in a loss to Geelong.

“Clearly we’re aware of the opposition’s best players and English has probably been as good as anyone for them,” Hinkley said.

“He’s like an extra mid in some ways, he can really cover the ground. He’s not a traditional ruckman … he can do all sorts of things.

“So it’s just around Scott knowing the role. He has taken on a couple of big roles in last few weeks for us.

“We’re really comfortable if he can handle (Melbourne’s Max) Gawn and (Brodie) Grundy and (Richmond’s Toby) Nankervis … that we think he can get the job done again for us.”

The second-placed Power, on a club-record nine-game winning streak, recalled spearhead Charlie Dixon and ex-captain Travis Boak after injury while last week’s substitute Josh Sinn has been named in the starting line-up.

The seventh-placed Bulldogs lost defender Ed Richards (hamstring) and Ryan Gardner, Oskar Baker and Tim O’Brien have been dropped.

Utility Josh Bruce returns for his first AFL game since round five when he copped a rib injury while Alex Keath, Laitham Vandermeer and Rhylee West also return.

with AAP