Collingwood will challenge the three-match ban given to Billy Frampton for the tackle in the Kingโs Birthday clash that left Melbourneโs Brody Mihocek with a fractured neck that required surgery.
Match review officer Michael Christian ruled Framptonโs actions on his former Magpies teammate during the second term of the close match at the MCG to be careless and high, with severe impact.
The AFL tribunal will sit on Wednesday evening to hear the case. Collingwood will challenge the ban on the grounds it was not careless contact and the incident was accidental.
Mihocek, 33, temporarily lost feeling in some of his limbs after being knocked out when the top of his head was accidentally driven into the ground in the Frampton tackle.
The MCG crowd of 88,019 people fell silent as the game was held up for eight minutes while Melbourneโs medics attended Mihocek.
He was carefully loaded onto a motorised stretcher and taken from the ground before being transported to The Alfred hospital.
It was Mihocekโs first game against his former side. Players from both teams went over to wish the forward well before he was taken from the ground.
He underwent surgery on Monday evening and Melbourne confirmed the power forward, who was a premiership player at the Magpies, had since been out of his hospital bed and was walking.
Collingwood have spoken with the AFL, the Demons, Mihocek and his family to explain the grounds for their tribunal challenge.
Senior Magpie leaders and players have also been in contact with Mihocek, and were pleased that their former teammate was doing well after surgery.
On Tuesday evening, Footy Classified host and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said Framptonโs three-match ban should be overturned, arguing it was just an accident.
โHe fell down first of all, heโs in there, heโs pushing off and pushing forward,โ McGuire said watching the replay of the tackle.
โYou canโt go forward on a player now, to protect the player, you canโt stand there, itโs just an accident.โ
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.
