Shai Bolton is set to come under the microscope of the Match Review Officer for a hit on Swan Errol Gulden.
Late in the third term, a quarter where Richmond had surged back into the contest against Sydney on Friday night, Bolton gave away a kicking in danger free kick before throwing Gulden to the ground after a strike to the upper body.
The 20-year-old Sydney midfielder wasn’t injured, but Bolton’s action drew a 50-metre penalty.
It was one of a number of brain fades that Damien Hadwick labelled “incredibly poor” in the post-game, but there are now fears the ramifications could span on for weeks.
Gerard Whateley believes the enigmatic Tiger will be given no benefit of the doubt such was the nature of his action and suggested a two-week suspension was appropriate.
“I just think once you stand there and do that, you’re not beating anything,” Whateley told SEN’s Crunch Time.
“However this is graded is what he’s going to serve. (In) my personal view, he’ll serve two (weeks).
"He's lost the plot"
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Shai Bolton just handing out the 50 metre free with this one.
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“I actually think it will be high. I think it will be medium (impact) and high (contact).
“He’ll get no benefit of the doubt in the way this is graded. He’d nearly kicked his opponent’s head off, which was a really dangerous moment, awful, and then for no reason whatsoever decided to whack him.”
The force of the incident is difficult to evaluate based on the footage, but Whateley argued it won’t matter if it’s a closed fist or open palm.
“Not in the manner he swung at him,” he explained.
With the incident occurring out of play, the grading of intentional is likely. A medium impact strike to the neck or head then warrants a two-week suspension, while low impact will earn Bolton one week on the sidelines.
Bolton finished the clash with 22 disposals but went goalless for the first time since Round 18, 2022.
Richmond slumped to a 44-point loss after being overrun late and could be in the bottom four come the end of Round 5.