Ryan Nyhuis' controversial tackle on Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray that left him concussed, has sparked debate over whether the tackle should be graded as 'careless' or 'severe'.
Nyhuis pinned Gray’s arms and appeared to slam him to the ground, knocking Gray out cold and leaving him questionable to play next week.
The AFL has made an effort to try and remove this tackle from the game, but dual premiership player David King believes it warrants nothing more than a two-week suspension.
“It has to be careless,” said King on SEN’s Whateley.
“It was dangerous and it was ugly, put it that way.
“I don’t think that it’s severe, because I think it was a tackle, it’s part of the game,” he added.
“I don't think it'll be severe. I think it'll be high, and I think it'll be two weeks.”
Gerard Whateley however disagreed with King, labelling the tackle as the ‘worst’ of the season.
“I’m saying three weeks,” said Whateley.
“I think it’s more careless than it is intentional, but the fact that Gray is knocked out cold in the moment that it happens, that’s severe for me.
“I think this is clearly different (to the Nic Naitanui one).
“He grabs him, tips him, and slams his head into the ground.
“Naitanui’s was a push in the back which ended badly. This was the textbook dangerous tackle.
“That’s the worst tackle of the year in terms of the damage that’s been done.
“It’s the graphic nature of the defenceless player having his head driven into the ground and knocked out cold.
“He tipped him and slapped his head into the ground.”
Watch the incident below:
Robbie Gray has been stretchered off the field after this tackle from Ryan Nyhuis. #AFLFreoPower pic.twitter.com/2kZiDPvo84
— AFL (@AFL) July 15, 2018