Essendon midfielder Dylan Shiel may face a nervous wait as the Match Review Officer looks into his involvement in an aerial collision that left teammate Luamon Lual with a concussion after landing dangerously on Friday night.

The incident, which took place in the late stages of the second quarter, saw Shiel shove Geelong utility Mark O'Connor under the flight of the Sherrin and into the path of the leaping Lual, causing Lual to flip mid-air and land on his neck.

Lual would eventually be subbed from the game, though no medical reason was provided.

The moment has called into question whether Shiel should face punishment from the MRO, considering the AFL sent a memo about dangerous pushing acts to clubs before the season, highlighting that players who push opponents in marking contests with the potential to cause injury may be suspended.

A number of instances have set the precedent in 2025. In March, Richmond's Rhyan Mansell was handed a three-match ban for pushing Saint Liam O'Connor into Tom Lynch which left O'Connor with a concussion. In the VFL, Carlton 2024 draftee Ben Camporeale was given a four-match ban for initiating a nasty head clash between Brisbane players James Tunstill and Deven Robertson.

However, due to the strange outcome of Shiel's push, where a teammate copped the brunt of collision, it appears the MRO will have murky waters to swim through to find an answer.

Essendon senior coach Brad Scott defended Shiel post-game, highlighting that despite immediate concerns and eventually being substituted from the match, Lual pulled up from the incident relatively unharmed.

"It'll be an interesting one. I'm not sure you can get suspended for hurting your own player, but, we'll see," Scott said.

"[Lual] was very sore, but he was able to function, and he competed hard. But we just felt that, while he was able to function, he was sore, so we needed to make the sub anyway. He was the obvious candidate, to us."

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