Essendon midfielder Sam Durham is facing a spell on the sidelines after a bump on Carlton's Adam Cerra on Sunday night.
Durham is likely facing a forceful front-on contact charge for his collision with Cerra, who had his head over a grounded ball.
Durham opted to move into a bumping motion instead of contesting the ball, causing Cerra to be floored and require medical assessment.
After some time, Cerra was eventually pulled from the ground for further head injury checks.
The Blues midfielder was able to continue in the match, a factor that will likely see Durham avoid a long suspension.
A free kick was paid against Sam Durham for this bump on Adam Cerra.#AFLBluesDons pic.twitter.com/TqLCaSW8w3
— 7AFL (@7AFL) June 8, 2025
He could still face multiple weeks on the sidelines for the bump, which Blues coach Michael Voss thought was "black and white".
"I think it's pretty black and white, you just can't do that anymore," Voss said post-game.
"I'm conscious right now that it's an opposition player and I don't go down that path, but I think when you look at the clinical way of why we put the rule in the first place was probably that, wasn't it?
"We're coached differently now, we have to coach our players to let them win the ball and step to the side. That's the nature of the competition and what we're asked to do.
"It'll get dealt with in the right channels."
Gradings of careless conduct, medium impact and high contact for Durham would result in a one-game suspension.
The Match Review Officer could grade the Don's action as high impact, which could be the most likely penalty and would result in a two-game suspension.
A ban of that length will mean Durham is unavailable for Essendon's next two matches against Geelong and Fremantle. He would then be next available after the club's Round 16 bye, with his next game to come in July against Gold Coast.
