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FIRST TEST CASE FOR NEW MRO TWEAK<\/p>\n
A dangerous tackle from North Melbourne defender Charlie Comben looms as the first test case for a crucial new match review grading adjustment.<\/p>\n
Comben faces a nervous wait, with his tackle on Melbourne forward Brody Mihocek just 10 minutes into Friday\u2019s Dees-Roos match simulation at Casey Fields<\/a> set to be scrutinised by the MRO on Monday.<\/p>\n Demons assistant coach Troy Chaplin post-match said Mihocek, who left the field soon after the tackle, had indicated he had blurred vision before finishing the game on the bench and entering concussion protocols.<\/p>\n It comes days after it emerged the AFL had written to clubs and formalised several changes to the MRO process<\/a>.<\/p>\n If it was found that Comben\u2019s tackle had ultimately caused Mihocek\u2019s concussion and the incident was assessed under 2025 MRO guidelines, the Kangaroos defender would\u2019ve copped a three-week ban, because the impact of a concussion-related incident was automatically graded as \u2018severe\u2019.<\/p>\n AFL Wrap: Thilthorpe kicks five | 01:26<\/p>\n But one of the key judicial changes for 2026 will allow the MRO to hand players sanctions lower than three weeks for incidents involving a concussion. It essentially eliminates the controversial \u2018three weeks or nothing\u2019 rule from last year that some players \u2014 most notably North Melbourne\u2019s Paul Curtis<\/a> \u2014 were caught up in.<\/p>\n \u201cWhilst an intentional or careless act causing a concussion will usually be graded as severe impact, when other factors relevant to impact, including the observable level of force, are more consistent with a lesser impact grading \u2026 a lesser impact grading may be imposed,\u201d the amendment read, per SEN<\/a>.<\/p>\n It means while an action like Comben\u2019s could still lead to a suspension, the grading tweak would give the MRO some leeway during assessment.<\/p>\n Still, any Comben ban would be a blow for North Melbourne, considering fellow backs Riley Hardeman (ankle), Luke McDonald (wrist) and Aidan Corr (calf) are in doubt for Round 1, while Jackson Archer (knee) and Blake Thredgold (foot) face months on the sidelines.<\/p>\n Scratch game incidents can be still be assessed by the MRO, even though the matches are \u2018unofficial\u2019 and not organised by the AFL. Port Adelaide\u2019s Sam Powell-Pepper in 2024 copped a four-game ban from the AFL Tribunal<\/a> \u2014 referred to via the MRO \u2014 for rough conduct against Adelaide\u2019s Mark Keane during match simulation, while ex-Crow Brodie Smith last year was hit with a one-game ban<\/a> for a bump on Port Adelaide\u2019s Christian Moraes.<\/p>\n The Kangaroos face Port Adelaide, West Coast and Essendon to begin their season before the traditional Good Friday clash against Carlton. They lost to Melbourne by 80 points on Friday.<\/p>\n Cooper Hodge at Hawthorn training at Dingley Village. Picture: David CroslingSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n 2026 AFL DRAFT\u2019S MOST FASCINATING STORYLINE<\/p>\n Four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge insists his son Cooper still must \u201cput himself in a position\u201d to be drafted later this year before any thought is given to nominating a preferred club.<\/p>\n Hodge, 182cm, looms as one of the most intriguing 2026 draft storylines, despite being considered by many recruiters as a prospect ranked outside the first round at this stage. He\u2019s eligible to join Hawthorn under the father-son rule \u2014 his dad Luke played 305 games for the Hawks \u2014 but also tied to Brisbane as he lives in Queensland and is a member of the club\u2019s Academy.<\/p>\n While Hodge has trained at both Brisbane and Hawthorn over recent months, both clubs will have to decide later this year whether to nominate him. Should both teams believe he has AFL-level talent, Hodge would be left with a tricky choice.<\/p>\n But the prospect of Hodge joining the Lions as an academy selection over the Hawks as a father-son choice \u201ccould become the next flashpoint for the escalating debate about access to top-end talent\u201d, according to The Age. It comes as the AFL Commission prepares to make a call on further tightening draft rules and access to top club-tied talent in the wake of the Suns matching bids on 10 Academy players across the past three national drafts.<\/p>\n But Luke Hodge said Cooper still needed to prove to club recruiters he\u2019s an AFL draft-worthy player.<\/p>\n Cooper Hodge of Lions Academy. Picture: Chris Hyde\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say he has got a decision (to make), but it is up to the clubs. First of all, he has got to put himself in a position, so his next three months is important for getting the kick [and] playing a role,\u201d Luke told The Age.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as the decision, it is up to the clubs. There are pros and cons about staying (and) pros and cons about going. The thing is, first of all, is to do enough this year to give yourself an opportunity to get drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n In his 17th year, Hodge in 2025 laid a strong platform for his draft campaign, impressing scouts with his toughness and intensity around the coalface. He averaged 16.3 disposals, 8.5 tackles and 3.8 inside 50s in four Coates Talent League outings for the Lions academy, before booting three goals from two VFL games for Brisbane late in the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The MRO\u2019s first big call for 2026 \u2014 with a new grading amendment to work with \u2014 looms,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[233553,42258,139526,638,49798,249797,64,63,689,55,15824,639,9124,249792,37359,249786,244608,249789,249799,49790,249794,249788,73839,1127,2105,249793,249796,249790,249791,249084,26512,11234,218846,167651,677,47051,249787,6082,701,249795,249798,249087,1124,85,17289,52623,40098,660],"class_list":{"0":"post-495758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-aami-community-series-live","9":"tag-academy-players","10":"tag-academy-selection","11":"tag-afl","12":"tag-aidan-corr","13":"tag-amendment-read","14":"tag-au","15":"tag-australia","16":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","17":"tag-australian-football-league","18":"tag-australian-football-league-commission","19":"tag-australianfootballleague","20":"tag-chris-hyde","21":"tag-crow-brodie-smith","22":"tag-dangerous-tackle","23":"tag-demons-assistant","24":"tag-dingley-village","25":"tag-draft-debate","26":"tag-draft-worthy-player","27":"tag-entering-concussion-protocols","28":"tag-escalating-debate","29":"tag-father-son-choice","30":"tag-footy-news","31":"tag-fox-footy","32":"tag-getty-images-inc","33":"tag-grading-amendment","34":"tag-grading-tweak","35":"tag-impact-grading","36":"tag-key-ban-tweak","37":"tag-kicks-fiveafl","38":"tag-luke-hodge","39":"tag-mark-keane","40":"tag-match-simulation","41":"tag-matching-bids","42":"tag-oceania","43":"tag-one-game-ban","44":"tag-players-sanctions","45":"tag-port-adelaide","46":"tag-queensland","47":"tag-review-grading-adjustment","48":"tag-scratch-game-incidents","49":"tag-sim-games","50":"tag-south-australia","51":"tag-sports","52":"tag-test-case","53":"tag-top-end-talent","54":"tag-troy-chaplin","55":"tag-victoria"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}