Was Liam Baker lucky to escape with just a one-match ban for his collision with Sydney defender Lewis Melican?
The star Tiger received a one-game ban for the impact and AFL Nation commentator Adam White feels he is fortunate Melican wasn’t hurt.
“He’s lucky that Lewis Melican got up. If Melican was concussed in the same way Harry Cunningham was concussed, Baker would have missed four weeks,” White told SEN’s Sportsday.
“Which opens that whole Pandora’s Box around luck, outcome versus action.
“I think it was really dangerous because Baker did take his eye off the ball.
“It was right in front of us and I was calling the game at the time and I called it like (Melican) got steamrolled.
“It looked like a car accident.”
We have already seen this year that the AFL is happy to dish out four-game bans (or longer) for bumps that leave a player concussed, with the likes of Jimmy Webster, Peter Wright and Sam Powell-Pepper already handed lengthy suspensions in 2024.
Liam Baker has been offered a one-match suspension for this incident involving Lewis Melican.
— AFL (@AFL) April 1, 2024
Full Sunday Match Review findings: https://t.co/IFcwS17Dlq pic.twitter.com/fZMySorRyx
The Tigers are now decimated heading into Gather Round against St Kilda, with Tom Lynch and Noah Balta joining a lengthy injury list.
Richmond will be without Dion Prestia, Jacob Hopper, Jack Graham and Josh Gibcus, on top of the key position duo, while Dustin Martin and Dylan Grimes remain under a cloud.
“When you think of those three – Tom Lynch, Noah Balta and Liam Baker out of this team – already no Jacob Hopper, Dion Prestia, who knows where Dustin Martin is at, Dylan Grimes might come back this week,” White added.
“They’re going to be under pressure against the Saints in Adelaide, you would think.”
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Tigers however, coming off their five-point win over Sydney at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
It was head coach Adem Yze’s first victory at the helm.
