Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has hit out at Kysaiah Pickett for his bump on Bulldogs gun Bailey Smith, saying it’s “as vicious an incident as you’re going to see for a long time”.
Pickett’s name was taken in the second quarter of Melbourne’s 17.13 (115) to 9.11 (65) win at the MCG after he floored Smith and kickstarted a brawl.
The 21-year-old forward was one of the best players on the ground, kicking an equal-game high four goals, but was cited for the ugly hit on Smith.
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Speaking on Nine’s Sunday AFL Footy Show, Cornes said Pickett was lucky Smith was able to get up.
“That’s a human missile there … launching himself really dangerously,” he said.
Cornes hits out at ‘vicious’ Pickett hit
“He chooses to bump, he leaves the ground, and he launches, and he’s really lucky that Bailey Smith got up.”
The AFL tribunal has historically been lenient on incidents where there has been no injury. AFL.com journalist Damian Barrett suggested Smith’s lack of injury will mean Pickett may only be hit with a careless charge, and suspended for a week.
While match review officer Michael Christian is bound by the laws in front of him, the AFL are able to come over the top and make their own suspensions.
Richmond great Nathan Brown said while he never wants to see players miss games, round one was a perfect opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and “ban the action”.
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