Collingwood superstar Jordan De Goey has avoided suspension and will be free to play in his side's preliminary final.
De Goey was a standout for the Magpies, gathering a game-high twenty-six touches and a goal, but his incident with Josh Worrell caught the attention of Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
Worrell was not injured in the act and was one of Adelaide’s best on ground, matching De Goey with a game-high twenty-six touches.
The incident was graded as careless conduct, low impact, and high contact, resulting in a $3,000 fine ($2,000 with an early plea).
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In a post-match interview, De Goey downplayed the act when asked for his comments.
"It was just a simple one," he explained.
"I actually blocked the ball with my leg, it was just a smother,"
"It wasn’t like I just came past and clipped him at all, I actually got to the ball first and we braced for contact.”
De Goey’s defence was agreed with by Michael Christian, but that view was not shared by many in the AFL media.
“Certainly the De Goey hit on Worrell – only because the comparison to (Shannon Neale's) one-week suspension three weeks ago is so fresh,” Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph reported on the hit.
“He elects to bump – he doesn’t contest the ball. He makes clear head high contact,”
“Michael Christian isn’t someone who’s going to say because it’s a final I’m going to let him off.
“I think it’s more likely to be a one week (ban)."
In other Match Review Officer news, Mark Keane also escaped suspension.
He was slapped with a $10,000 fine for his strike on Steele Sidebottom.
Christian graded the incident as careless conduct, low impact, and high contact.
This was Keane’s sixth striking offense for the season.