Gary Ablett and Nat Fyfe escape sanction for round eight incidents

Tom Naghten

Gary Ablett and Nat Fyfe escape sanction for round eight incidents image

Geelong superstar Gary Ablett has escaped sanction for another raised arm to the head of an opponent.

AFL match review officer Michael Christian said there was "insufficient force" to classify Ablett's hit on Sam Wright as a reportable offence.

Ablett cleaned up Wright after he had disposed of the ball in the second quarter of the Cats' win over the Roos on Sunday, appearing to collect him with a forearm to the head.

MORE: Outdated AFL and football fan stereotypes need to be rethought

Check out the incident below.


Wright suffered no immediate or lasting effects from the knock and was able to take the free kick.

That incident was not dissimilar to the hit on Dylan Shiel that Ablett found himself in trouble for after round seven.

The 35-year-old was initially whacked with a one-week suspension, though that was eventually overturned at the tribunal.

Elsewhere, Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe's elbow to the head of Richmond key forward Tom Lynch has also been ticked off by Christian, "insufficient force" again the decisive factor.

North Melbourne's Sam Durdin was the only player suspended out of the weekend's action, copping a week for rough conduct on Gary Rohan.

Durdin collected Rohan with a shepherd, leaving the Cats forward concussed.


Three players are lighter in the pocket after round eight, with James Frawley hit with a $2,000 fine for this incident with Jeremy Cameron, Jeremy McGovern fined $2,000 for rough conduct on St Kilda's Blake Acres, while Rising Star favourite Sam Walsh can accept a $1,000 sanction for pushing Jordan De Goey into the path of an umpire.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.