“His forceful contact also resulted in Rankine’s head making forceful contact with the ground.

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“Although Houston’s feet did not leave the ground, and he appears to have made some attempt to lower his body, the time he had to decide not to bump, the vulnerability of Rankine and the speed and force of his impact lead us to conclude that this was a serious breach of the duty of care.

“Although Rankine could have expected to be tackled, he could not reasonably have expected to be bumped high.”

Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron and Greater Western Sydney’s Toby Bedford last month had three-game suspensions for rough conduct overturned by the appeals board.

Police probe Adelaide’s Crouch for clash with Port fan

AAP
Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch is under police investigation for a clash with a Port Adelaide supporter as the bitter fallout from last weekend’s Showdown continues.

Crouch flicked the cap off a Port supporter’s head when exiting Adelaide Oval after last Saturday night’s fiery clash between the South Australian rivals.

The Power supporter, who was leaning over a boundary fence and yelling abuse at Crows players as they left the field, reported the incident to police.

“It’s one I can’t comment around, there’s an investigation going on at the moment, but Matt has got our full support,” Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks told reporters on Wednesday.

SA Police confirmed an investigation was under way following a complaint from the Port supporter.

The Crouch incident follows Port defender Dan Houston being banned for five games for a bump that knocked out Adelaide’s Izak Rankine in the match won by the Power.

Port’s mascot was struck in the head by a young Crows fan before the game, suffering a bloodied nose. No action was taken because the Adelaide supporter is a minor.

Power forward Willie Rioli was also racially abused online following the game in an act condemned by both clubs.

Crouch was involved in several on-field skirmishes with Port Adelaide players during the game.

In the aftermath, footage shows the Port supporter leaning over a fence and abusing Crows players as they exited through the players’ race.

Crouch, not breaking stride, flicked the cap off the fan’s head.

“It’s a hard one ... the reason that we, I guess, allow fans close to the boundary line is for those kids that just love footy,” Nicks said.

“They have idols and they have heroes and they want to come down and get amongst it and [take] selfies and that’s the really positive part of our game that we love.”

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Asked if a proverbial line had been crossed, Nicks replied: “It’s just passion for sport.

“It was a big week, a big Showdown,” he said.

“When adrenaline is pumping and emotions are high, sometimes we can overstep the line and it can happen to anyone.

“Yeah, some could argue there was a little bit of that on the night.”

Nicks was captured by television cameras in a brief discussion with Port coach Ken Hinkley after the match.

The Crows coach, referring to the bump which knocked out Rankine, is understood to have told Hinkley that Houston’s hit was a “dog act”.

“Apparently someone was lip-reading ... but I don’t need to share everything that we spoke about,” Nicks said on Wednesday.

Nicks refused to be drawn on Houston’s five-match ban.

“Izak ... we’re pleased with how he’s recovered, initially it was a bit of a concern on Saturday night,” he said.

“But he’s in pretty good spirits and that’s really the only concern I’ve had out of it all.”

Heppell to play for Bombers one last time

Peter Ryan
Popular Essendon veteran Dyson Heppell will play a final game for the Bombers at the Gabba on Saturday night after announcing his retirement last week.

The 32-year-old was not selected to play against the Swans last Friday night, senior coach Brad Scott adamant the midfielder wanted to be selected on merit with the Bombers still in finals contention.

Scott said the match committee did not consider Heppell in their best 23.

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The decision caused some controversy with club great Matthew Lloyd saying he would have liked to see Heppell play in front of Victorian fans for the final time as he believed his presence would have given the team a lift.

Heppell played 252 games, captained the Bombers, was All-Australian and won a best and fairest in a career that was interrupted in 2016 when he was one of 34 players suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a year amid the Essendon drugs scandal.

Heppell was respected throughout the competition for his skill and loyalty to the Bombers in a difficult period when he was at the peak of his career.

English to miss Giants’ clash

AAP
Newly re-signed ruck Tim English will sit out the Western Bulldogs’ crucial final-round rivalry clash with GWS due to an ankle injury.

English missed last week’s thumping win over North Melbourne, with rejuvenated big man Rory Lobb impressing in his absence after another positional shift.

The 27-year-old didn’t train at the Whitten Oval on Wednesday and Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge all but ruled English out of taking on the Giants.

“He’s close,” Beveridge said of English, who last week turned his back on free agency to stay with the Dogs until the end of 2029.

“Hopefully he gets a chance [to return] and we get a look by winning this weekend, but we don’t anticipate he’s going to be available this week.”

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