Collingwood big man Mason Cox has called for the AFL to introduce a sin bin to the competition, after St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster's hit on North Melbourne star Jy Simpkin on Sunday.
Webster jumped off the ground and shouldered Simpkin after he kicked the ball on the boundary line at RSEA Park during the first quarter of the practice match.
Simpkin lay motionless on the ground as he was tended to by club medical staff.
READ MORE: Rooster's bizarre defence of 'monkey' allegation
READ MORE: Broncos star 'in tears' after alleged racist comment
READ MORE: South Sydney coach laments costly errors in Vegas loss
A scuffle broke out between players as several Roos defended their teammate.
After some time on the turf, the 25-year-old was able to get up and walk off unassisted, but extremely dazed, before being immediately ruled out of the rest of the match.
Cox added his opinion to the debate that has already seen calls from Kangaroos legend David King for Webster to be slapped with a 10-week suspension, saying the league should act quickly to stamp this act out of the game.
"Man this makes me cringe," Cox said on X on Sunday.
"Hoping Jy is ok.
"Makes me think there should be a sin bin or some kind of in-game ramification for these things."
https://twitter.com/masonsixtencox/status/1764146803103199333
A sin bin would mean players could be removed from a game on the spot, if an incident is deemed dangerous enough.
It comes just weeks after Melbourne premiership midfielder Angus Brayshaw was forced to medically retire from the game due to the ongoing effects of concussion.
Brayshaw's retirement follows the AFL making a rule change in 2024 in response to Collingwood premiership player Brayden Maynard's controversial bump on Brayshaw in the 2023 qualifying final.
If a player decides to smother and ends up contacting a player high, the league has confirmed it will suspend players, irrespective of their intention during the incident.
Simpkin has suffered three concussions over the past nine months, with fears now concerning his future in the game.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.