The AFL may investigate circumstances surrounding Jed Anderson’s concussion amid questions of why the North Melbourne star was allowed to return to the field on Saturday.
Anderson stumbled after copping a knee to the face in a marking contest in the third quarter but was then cleared to return to the field before being later ruled out by medical staff.
Speaking to reporters post-game, North Melbourne coach Leigh Adams admitted he had not seen the vision yet but backed club doctors.
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Jed Anderson of the Kangaroos goes off. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I haven’t seen the vision yet, but I’m comfortable that our doctors would have made the right decision whatever that was,” Adams said.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure, I know he came off with the blood rule, and then I was told at three-quarter time that he had gone into the concussion protocols.
“I’m not sure how long he was in those protocols once the three-quarter time siren went but he was ruled out pretty quickly after that.”
Anderson will miss North’s last game of the season against Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium.
speaking on Fox Footy later in the night, Nick Riewoldt and Jonathan Brown both said Anderson should not have been allowed back on the field but could understand why there may have been confusion on the bench.
“You notice there the doctor turned around and was distracted talking to one of the other trainers when he stumbled,” Riewoldt said.
“I reckon had the doctor seen that live, he would have gone: ‘I’m not sure this bloke is right’ but he missed that.”
“It can be chaos on the bench, so I clearly think it has been missed,” Brown added.
“They’ve gone back, reviewed the vision and incident and once they were actually able to do their due diligence properly, they’ve subbed him off. You wouldn’t expect they’d be in too much trouble.”
Fremantle expect Rory Lobb to back up against GWS, despite being subbed out of the win over West Coast.
While the Roos are counting the injury toll from a bruising encounter with the Crows.
Get the latest AFL injury news in our Round 22 Casualty Ward!
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FREMANTLE coach Justin Longmuir has defended the club’s decision to sub Rory Lob out of the win over West Coast late, despite then admitting he expects the star to play next weekend.
Lobb has been carrying a shoulder injury for the past few weeks and appeared to aggravate it in a marking contest in the third term.
But the big forward waved away medical staff and played on, despite clearly carrying his right shoulder.
“He’s sore,” Longmuir admitted post-match. “We don’t think it’s too significant. We’re proud of his efforts after he got injured and halved some contests and remained in the game and kept working his way through it.
“(We) expect him to play (against GWS).
“Players have played plenty of times after they’ve been subbed out.
“He was carrying his arm around so he’s got an injury. He’s been carrying it for three weeks so he got a stinger on it and couldn’t go on tonight but we think he’ll be alright.”
Longmuir said he would enjoy the win over West Coast before contemplating having both Lobb and fellow big forward Matt Taberner unavailable for the away clash with GWS.
“I’ll worry about that when I get home,” he laughed.
“It’s not ideal and I’d love Lobby to play next week. We haven’t really crossed that bridge yet.
“When you see a player out there carrying their arm, you want to protect them so that’s why we subbed him out.
“He’s a fast healer. He played the week after he hurt it the first time from memory. So fingers crossed he gets up. He doesn’t let on when he brings injuries into games and he pushes through it really well.
“He’s 205cm and we needed to contest forward of the ball.
“I’m really proud of his efforts to keep competing, sometimes with one arm.”
Saint in hot water over bump? | 00:41
The call to sub Lobb out of the contest came with just four minutes remaining when the match was all but won.
“The docs went out and checked him and probably decided that he couldn’t go on anymore,” Longmuir said.
“He battled as well as he could for as long as he could. We needed to get him off for his own welfare from him.”
Lobb’s potential absence could hurt Fremantle’s top four push with Taberner already sidelined. skipper Nat Fyfe is no guarantee to return from his hamstring injury in Round 23 with Longmuir adamant the club would take a cautious approach.
“We don’t need to (bring him straight back), but if he’s fit to play, he’ll put his hand up for selection,” Longmuir said.
“If he’s not declared fit, we’re not going to put him out there and risk him. You injure yourself at this time of year and have a repeat injury to that hammy, then your season’s almost done.”
Longmuir said Fyfe may even go back to the WAFL for a second time this year to build fitness heading into finals.
“If it’s not this week, then we’ve got the bye and a WAFL game in the bye so we’ll look at that,” he said.
ST KILDA‘s Jimmy Webster‘s season is all but over after he injured his hamstring in the loss to Brisbane.
With the Saints now only a mathematical chance of finals, Webster is set for scans in the coming days.
He was subbed out of the loss to Brisbane early and was iced up for the remainder of the clash.
Cunnington emotional after huge return! | 02:47
ADELAIDE forward Shane McAdam is in doubt for this weekend’s Showdown with Port Adelaide.
McAdam was subbed out of the win over North Melbourne with a hamstring complaint.
“Forward Shane McAdam injured his hamstring while leading for the ball in the final quarter and was subbed out of the game,” Crows high performance manager Darren Burgess said.
“He will be assessed in coming days ahead of next week’s Showdown.”
NORTH MELBOURNE are counting the cost of a bruising loss to the Crows, with three players injured and young Paul Curtis now racing to be fit for the final match of the season.
jed anderson suffered concussion and won’t play again this season under the AFL’s protocols.
skipper jack ziebell is also likely done for 2022 after suffering a “significant” shoulder injury.
“It didn’t look great for Ziebs in particular,” coach Leigh Adams said.
“It’s some sort of shoulder injury. I think we all know Jack Ziebell is going to put his body on the line every time.
“I’m not sure if its collarbone or a dislocation but for him to come straight off and get subbed off, it must have been pretty bad. He doesn’t come off unless something is wrong.
“Fingers crossed it’s not too bad but it looks like his season is over.”
Kangaroos miss chance against Crows | 01:34
Jaidyn Stephenson will have to prove his fitness to play again this season after coming off with a back injury.
“Stevo’s had a bit of back issues that can come good pretty quick.”
Adams defended the club’s decision to send Anderson back out into the contest, as he was later ruled out with concussion.
“I haven’t seen the vision yet – I’m comfortable our doctors will have made the right decision,” he said.
“I know he came off with the blood rule and I was told at three quarter time he’d gone into the concussion protocols.”
Adams said the club wouldn’t take any risk with young Curtis after he copped a knock to his shoulder.
“This time of year obviously with one game to go, we won’t take any risk with a young kid like that,” he said.
GWS could be without Lachlan Keeffe after he complained of groin soreness in the loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Caretaker coach Mark McVeigh said the club would take precautions with the veteran.
“We’ll assess Keeffey who complained of a bit of groin soreness. We’ll take precautions there,” he said.
Tanner Bruhn won’t play again this season after entering the AFL’s concussion protocols.
“Tanner Bruhn with the HIA so he’ll enter those protocols which is not ideal for him,” McVeigh said.
the WESTERN BULLDOGS admit skipper Marcus Bontempelli is not fully fit but continues to press on.
“I finished the game off alright didn’t he?” coach Luke Beveridge said.
“He’s struggling a little bit with a niggle or two. I had Marcus and Chrissy Bell in my office yesterday talking through, he’s got a bit of an adductor issue going on.
“Both Marcus and Chris were sure he’d get through the game.
“He’s not 100 per cent. I have pushed through a bit of discomfort today.”
Bulldogs keep finals in sight | 02:53
GEELONG Coach Chris Scott has hinted at resting more players for the final round clash against West Coast.
With top spot assured, the Cats do have one injury concern with Rhys Stanley subbed out of the win over the Gold Coast.
“They tell me he’s got a low grade adductor strain,” Scott said.
“Generally when they say low grade it’s a week or two. It will be unlikely he’ll play next week is the feedback I’ve got but they are not too worried beyond that.”
GOLD COAST coach Stuart Dew says he feels for Sam Day after the forward re-injured his knee.
“Suspected that he’s hurt his meniscus that he’s had repaired last year and it was the same mechanism the way he slid and jammed that joint so we’ve got fingers crossed but unfortunately I think Sam might have hurt his knee which is really unfortunate,” Dew said.
Izak Rankin also remains in doubt for Round 23 after injuring his shoulder.
“He hurt that shoulder a few weeks back… clearly awkward landing/hit and he’s stirred that up,” Dew said.
“We’ll just see how that settles.”
WEST COAST could be without both Nic Naitanui and jamine jones for the trip to Geelong.
Jones was subbed out of the loss to the Dockers with a back issue.
“His back just seized up. We weighed up before the game whether to pull him out … He’s had a big year and carried some injuries. He just couldn’t last,” coach Adam Simpson said.
Simpson also admitted Naitanui was playing through the pain.
“He’s playing because the club needs him,” Simpson said.
Carlton needed to use the Willie Rioli defense in a bid to free skipper Patrick Cripps to play in this weekend’s must-win clash with Melbourne, according to Jonathan Brown.
Like Cripps, Willie Rioli was banned for his mid-air collision with Sun Matt Rowell as the Eagle’s impact sent the midfielder crashing into the turf.
Rioli was given a one-match ban for the heavy bump, but was successful in overturning the suspension at the court by arguing his actions were not “unreasonable”.
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Cripps has been hit with a two-match ban for his similar action that left Lion Callum Ah Chee concussed on the Gabba turf.
Brown believes a “precedence” was set in Round 1 – with the difference being Cripps’ has been graded as high impact and not medium like Rioli’s.
“The end of the day, the precedence has been set for my belief when Willie Rioli was let off with Matty Rowell in Round 1. I don’t think there’s been a rule change,” Brown said On the Couch.
“To me, it looked like Willie Rioli was later (in making contact).
“Yes, you can argue that it was a marking contest however it was an aerial contest. One was in play, one was a marking contest.
Longmuir confident yet coy on Freo | 03:48
“They were both scenarios where the player’s had to leave the ground. I don’t think Patty Cripps could do much. I actually think that (Rioli’s) looks worse and was let off.”
Fellow panelist Nick Riewoldt agreed that the Blues needed to use Rioli’s appeal as the basis for their challenge, should they decide to make one by 11am AEST on Tuesday.
“Whether you are jumping in the air in a marking contest or to intercept the ball from a handball is irrelevant,” he said as Brown added: “It should be irrelevant.”
“So they walk in (to the court), you press play on the Willie Rioli tape and you walk out five minutes later – that’s how it should go down,” Riewoldt said.
Brown felt Rioli’s argument that his conduct was “not unreasonable” should apply to Cripps as well.
“The argument for Willie Rioli (was) he couldn’t reasonably expect contact in that situation and obviously had to brace – but so did Patty Cripps.”
Fans were shocked back in Round 1 when Rioli escaped sanction for the hit on Rowell, with some calling on the Eagle to “buy a Lotto ticket”.
Koch statement awkward for Hinkley? | 01:36
Gerard Whateley said the Blues were in the process of preparing for an appeal on Monday night, but didn’t think the Rioli comparison was as “cookie cutter” as some believed.
“First they have to show it’s not a bump. The second part is there an alternative?” he said.
AFL360 co-host Mark Robinson agreed with coach Michael Voss that it was a “split second decision” for Cripps.
“My flinch reaction was: ‘You’re gone Patrick Cripps’ … but I said the same with Willie Rioli,” he said.
“We were gobsmacked at the time they appealed and got off. I don’t think the court can suspend him if they put up the Rioli (vision).
“But my gut feels is you can’t have that in our sport anymore.
Feet rebound from cap scandal | 02:10
“He didn’t mean to do it – but what’s more important? He didn’t mean to do it or the health and safety of Ah Chee?”
On the Couch host Garry Lyon believes Cripps’ actions are worthy of suspension, claiming it was “not a great surprise” the Match Review handed down a two-game ban on Monday.
“It’s a hold your breath moment,” he said.
“I don’t think in this state that we are in and the game we’ve got, if that goes unpunished, then we are kidding ourselves.”
The contest that left Brisbane Lions player Callum Ah Chee convicted will see Carlton captain Patrick Cripps sit out the home-and-away season on the sidelines, according to two former AFL stars.
Cripps launched at a contest with Ah Chee in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, collecting Ah Chee and leaving him dazed before he was eventually subbed out with concussion.
Blues coach Michael Voss mounted a defense for Cripps’ action when speaking after the 33-point loss.
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Carlton Press Conference | 06:10
“I thought it was a good answer,” he said.
“The umpire probably told the story, he didn’t pay a free kick, did he? Clearly he felt the arms were out and it was evenly contested and clearly when you have not a lot of time to adjust in those circumstances, it made for a difficult contest.
“I’m sure it’s one that’ll get looked at but from what I’ve seen the arms were outstretched and it was a pretty even contest.
“There’s microseconds in it, so if we’re asking players to make microsecond decisions, I don’t know whether the game enables that, I really don’t.”
Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, dual-premiership player for North Melbourne David King said Voss’ comments undersold the football IQ of Cripps, as well as the severity of the outcome for Ah Chee.
“So we’ve got the age-old argument of are we protecting the head or not – players can make decisions in microseconds, it’s what they do,” he said.
“I don’t know if that’s a microsecond decision. He’s coming in, he’s off the ground, his shoulder is tucked, he’s ready for contact. I don’t buy that. I love Vossy and I love what he’s done with Carlton, but that’s just not right.”
Co-host Ben Dixon pointed out Cripps and the Blues could argue the star was participating in a marking contest, but King wasn’t convinced.
“Mate, come on. He’s ready for contact at least a meter-and-a-half away, Cripps,” King said.
“He knows he’s going to be late, he assesses these things for a living. He knows when he’s late.
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.
As his side enters a crucial stage of the season, star Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps will face Match Review Officer scrutiny after a collision with Cal Ah Chee led to the Brisbane defender being subbed out of Sunday’s game.
Cripps copped jeers from Lions fans at The Gabba after making contact with Ah Chee during the second quarter of the Blues’ clash with Brisbane at The Gabba.
Ah Chee leapt into the air and got hands on the ball before Cripps also jumps off the ground and makes contact from behind. Ace Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph pointed out on Fox Footy, Cripps braced rather than reached for the ball yet it wasn’t a marking contest, nor did it appear Cripps was contesting the ball.
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Ah Chee was helped from the ground before being subbed out under concussion protocols and replaced by Mitch Robinson.
Speaking on Fox Footy, Ralph said Cripps’ incident could be assessed by the MRO as medium or even high impact, which would lead to a suspension of multiple weeks.
While Cripps’ accidental landing may have contributed to Ah Chee’s injury, Ralph said precedent indicated that it wouldn’t necessarily help Cripps’ case. Ralph pointed to the ban Magpie Brayden Maynard copped in March, despite a secondary action playing a role in Giant Daniel Lloyd’s injury.
“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,” Ralph told Fox Footy.
“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.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of middle ground. It’s either a football incident and an accident and he gets off, or it’s got the potential to be high impact given the concussion and he could miss two weeks
“It’s probably going to go to court, it’s certainly going to be scrutinized very heavily by Michael Christian. I think he’s in trouble.”
Carlton needs to win at least one more match to secure a 2022 finals berth. But should the Blues lose to the Lions on Sunday then be without their skipper for clashes against Melbourne and Collingwood, their task will be more difficult.
Callum Ah Chee of the Lions was subbed out. Picture: Bradley KanarisSource: Getty Images
Cripps is also fifth favorite to take out this year’s Brownlow Medal.
“We’re watching in slow motion unfortunately and there’s not a lot of time to think,” triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown told Fox Footy. “When ‘Crippa’ decided to take off and contest that ball, he wasn’t quite sure of the timing of it all.
“I think he should get off, I think it’s a football incident. But Jonny Ralph knows the precedent better than anyone.”
Triple All-Australian Eddie Betts added: “It’s a tough one to judge, because he turns his body right at the end. But Callum Ah Chee is convicted and gone off.”
