Brisbane Lions v Essendon Bombers: Luke Hodge plows through Dyson Heppell

Tom Naghten

Brisbane Lions v Essendon Bombers: Luke Hodge plows through Dyson Heppell image

Brisbane defensive general Luke Hodge may be at the tail end of his career but he showed Essendon's Dyson Heppell he's still capable of pulling off a big hit.

Hodge bowled the Bombers captain over with strong bump in the second quarter, seeing Heppell bloodied and helped from the ground.

Check out the incident below.


Heppell was taken from the ground and subsequently failed a concussion test.

While most viewers saw the incident as a collision between two players going for the ball, some were questioning whether Hodge might find himself in trouble for the bump.

Given some of the puzzling decisions the match review system and tribunal have come up with so far this year, perhaps the doubts are justified.

Though if Hodge gets sanctioned for bodylining a loose ball and running into an opponent who left himself exposed, congestion and goal review systems will be the least of the game's worries.





 



 


After the match, Bombers coach John Worsfold said he didn't think Hodge had anything to worry about.

"Hepp initiated the contact, I think," Worsfold said.

"Hepp came in to put pressure on and it was just a front-on contact.

"I don't know what actually hit Hepp's jaw but I don't think Hodge did anything wrong."

Fortunately for the Bombers, Heppell's absence in the second half didn't prove costly as they ran out 22-point winners.

Jake Stringer impressed with three goals and nine tackles, he was also at the centre of a controversial goal review decision.

Zach Merrett and Andrew McGrath were also among the best for Worsfold's side, while Brisbane key defender Harris Andrews pushed his All Australian claims with another strong performance.

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.