Hawthorn player Mabior Chol is free to play their next AFL game against Geelong after a bizarre incident on Thursday night in which he was awarded a free-kick. Chol kicked a goal in the second quarter against Sydney after Nick Blakey was pinged for holding the ball.
However replays showed that Chol actually pinned both of Blakey’s arms and took him to ground, where Blakey’s head hit the turf. The Swans player looked a bit worse for wear after the incident, however he was able to continue and didn’t need a concussion test.
Sam Mitchell (R) and Hawthorn players alongside Mabior Chol (far left). Image: Getty
Had Blakey been concussed, the incident would have drawn a lot more scrutiny. Instead it flew under the radar slightly, although fans have been quick to point out that pinning the arms of an opponent before their head hits the ground is usually a suspension.
One person wrote online: “Chol probably gets a week for that but somehow its a free for Hawthorn.” Another commented: “Should be weeks, pinned both arms.”
On Friday afternoon the match review committee found that Chol had no case to answer and he escaped a sanction altogether. “Blakey has possession of the ball and Chol approaches from behind, tackling Blakey to ground,” the AFL said in a statement.
“It was the view of the MRO that Chol did not use excessive force in tackling Blakey and his actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances. No further action was taken.”
Hawthorn get 18-day break before Geelong clash
The Hawks trailed by 20 points in the third quarter on Thursday night, but finished full of running for a 14.15 (99) to 13.4 (82) victory at the MCG. After being thrashed by GWS in their season-opener, the Hawks have got their campaign back on track with victories over Essendon and Sydney.
And they now they face an 18-day lay-off, with a bye next week followed by the traditional Easter Monday blockbuster against Geelong. “If we can sustain the type of pressure and intensity that we got tonight, we’ll be a really hard side to beat,” said coach Sam Mitchell.
“But if we drop off, we don’t have to look too far in our rear-view mirror to realise how vulnerable we can be. Nothing’s clearer to the players than that exact thing. We go into a bit of a break now at 2-1 and we can reassess and make some improvements to our game.”
Nick Blakey’s head collided with the turf after Mabior Chol pinned both his arms. Image: Fox Footy
Mitchell played down debate around the Hawks’ schedule, with many questioning why they’d get a Thursday night game and then a Monday the next time they play. “We love both of those fixtures,” he said.
“For us, we get a bit of a chance to reassess going into a couple of days off for our players. We’ll try to improve a couple of things and we’ll be ready for Easter Monday.”
with AAP