Geelong great Jimmy Bartel believes that no length of suspension or tough stance will be enough to completely stamp out dangerous bumps in the AFL.
St Kilda's Jimmy Webster faces a long stint on the sidelines for his late, head-high hit on the Kangaroos' co-captain Jy Simpkin in Sunday's Community Series match at RSEA Park.
During the first quarter of the sides' practice match, the defender left the ground and opted to bump Simpkin after he had disposed of the ball on the boundary line.
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Simpkin was concussed in the incident and is now in doubt for the Kangaroos' round-one clash against the Giants.
"[Webster] ran through Jy Simpkin like he was Stan Magro cleaning up Alex Jesaulenko back in the 70s," Eddie McGuire said of the bump on Nine's Eddie and Jimmy podcast.
While the action from Webster and subsequent scenes of Simpkin on the ground were alarming, Bartel argued that attitudes around electing to bump are changing for the better on the whole.
"Just this whole broader discussion [on concussion] — 'No one's learning, they'll never learn, make an example of him'," Bartel said sarcastically.
"He'll be made an example of because he got it wrong, he's tone deaf or he just hasn't been paying attention [to what's been happening in the game].
"But it is getting through [to the players]. The attitudes are changing because as soon as [Webster] did it, everyone knew [that he would be suspended].
"Jimmy Webster knew [and] every Saints fan knew that he's gone."
Bartel added that Webster should face a suspension of about six weeks, arguing against a ban of up to 10 weeks, which has been mooted.
"I think the AFL should come straight out and say six [weeks]," McGuire agreed.
With the incident occurring in the pre-season, McGuire called for consistency in the lengths of suspension across the season — even if this sees a player miss the grand final later in the year.
"Let's just cut out the emotion, but remember, and I want to say this right now, put this in the time capsule [for later], whatever it gets in pre-season or round one, applies in a preliminary final too," he said.
Alongside the attitude shift, Bartel also claimed that the discussion around suspensions for dangerous bumps was changing to incorporate the impact on the victim.
"I think there is also now a greater consideration on the player getting bumped," he said.
"There's a greater consideration of the impact on [the likes of] Jy Simpkin.
"I reckon in a [previous] discussion it would be, 'Jimmy Webster, how many weeks does he get? He'll miss this many'.
"But now, Simpkin's got to go through concussion protocols. He has had a couple of concussions in recent times, he's a captain of the club, and he's a leader. How does this impact his preparation leading into round one?.
"This is now in the mix for the decision-making."
Simpkin's latest concussion came a week after former Melbourne player Angus Brayshaw was forced to medically retire from the game because of the ongoing effects of repeat concussions.
McGuire said that Brayshaw's case should set a precedent for how the AFL deals with players who have long-term health concerns due to repeat concussions.
Simpkin has been concussed three times in the past nine months, with concern now mounting for his future in the game.
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