The MRO has given Collingwood forward Josh Daicos a one-match penalty for his risky tackle during Friday night’s loss to Brisbane.
Josh Daicos will miss the Magpies’ final home and away game of the season against Essendon due to his grade of careless conduct with medium impact and high contact. However, he will be free to play in Collingwood’s qualifying final.
For the current ladder leaders, it’s arguably still a win because Craig McRae’s team has secured a top two berth.
A free kick was promptly given by the non-controlling referee when Josh seemed to slam young Lion Darcy Wilmot into the Marvel Stadium grass during the third quarter.
Wilmot finished the game, but given the history and the MRO’s decisions this year, it was always inevitable that the Collingwood player would face a punishment.
On Fox Footy on Friday night, Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph stated, “I think the only real question for the AFL is whether they suspend him for a week or two, and two weeks would be him missing a qualifying final.”
“He puts Darcy Wilmot in a vulnerable position in this tackle by pinning one arm and dumping him in a tackle that sees Darcy hit his head on the ground.
Ralph likened Josh’s tackle of Wilmot to Will Day of Hawthorn’s tackle of Cats forward Brad Close on Easter Monday, which resulted in the Hawks rookie receiving a two-match suspension.
The AFL Tribunal upheld Day’s two-match suspension, which had been imposed by the Match review officer. The tribunal had classified Day’s tackle as a “inherently dangerous action.”
According to the Tribunal, there was “significant potential” for both a facial damage and a concussion in that particular case.
