AFL heavyweights have several names in danger of falling afoul of MRP.
Geelong utility Jimmy Bartel will miss his side’s game against St Kilda after copping a one-match ban from the AFL match review panel.
Bartel was lucky not to have 43.75 carryover points add to his sentence for his his two-match ban for striking Gold Coast’s Trent McKenzie last season.
The Cats small forward will take an enforced “rest” after his latest charge when he was reported for his hump on Adelaide Rory Laird in the second quarter of their dramatic two-point loss last weekend.
However, Bartel is not the only Geelong player who will have to walk on thin ice over the coming weeks with Steve Johnson, James Kelly and Joel Corey all playing with sizable points tallies hanging over their heads.
The Cats have a ready replacement with Steve Johnson returning from suspension at home against St Kilda on Saturday night and Bartel would risk another match being added if he challenges and fails at the tribunal.
Podsiadly can escape with a reprimand, but he will be lumbered with 93.75 points if he accepts the offer for rough conduct against Crow Richard Douglas in the last quarter in Adelaide.
Geelong may contest Podsiadly’s bump at the tribunal tonight – even if he loses, it would grant the 31-year-old a late-season break and leave him with a more manageable 25 demerit points.
If the Cats decide not to fight either charge, the others with heavy carryover points are Bartel, with 87.50, Johnson (71.78), Kelly (89.06) and Corey (60) for the last six home-and-away rounds and the finals series.
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