Things went from bad to worse for Carlton on Sunday in the second quarter against the Brisbane Lions.
Being blown off the park as they found themselves down 38-2, the Blues needed a spark and skipper Patrick Cripps tried to deliver it.
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A long kick down the line from Adam Cerra was punched high into the air by Brisbane’s Daniel Rich and Lions teammate Callum Ah Chee camped himself underneath it.
As the ball came down, Cripps came in at a hundred miles an hour and launched off the deck and flattened Ah Chee with a nasty hip and shoulder.
The impact of the hit left Ah Chee flat on the Gabba surface as several Lions teammates remonstrated with Cripps.
Medical staff rushed to Ah Chee’s side and he remained hunched over on his hands and knees before he was able to get back to his feet and under his own power make his way off the ground.
To make matters even worse for Cripps and his upcoming date with the Match Review Panel, Ah Chee was subbed out of the game with concussion, Mitch Robinson took his place.
Cripps was sixth favorite for the 2022 Brownlow Medal on TAB markets, but his name will surely contain an asterisk on the AFL’s night of nights.
“He’s much more likely to be suspended than not. The AFL’s bottom line is if you choose to bump, you’re responsible for the fallout,” Jon Ralph said on Fox Footy during the halftime show.
“This is a textbook case. He jumps off the ground, it’s not a marking contest, he doesn’t really contest the ball, he braces rather than reaches for the ball.
“Ah Chee is subbed out so it is absolutely medium impact, potentially even high impact.”
Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard was rubbed out earlier in the year for a strikingly similar hit on GWS’ Daniel Lloyd that resulted in him missing two weeks.
“It’s a tough one to watch,” former Carlton star Eddie Betts said on Fox Footy.
Carlton’s place in the finals is on the line, currently sitting seventh on the ladder one game clear of the ninth placed St Kilda.
They finish the season with games against the reigning premiers Melbourne and the running-hot Collingwood.
Failing to win any and they could find themselves standing on the outside looking in and having to secure a win without their inspirational skipper could prove to be mission impossible.
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