North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri could face scrutiny from the Match Review Officer (MRO) after a reckless hit on Melbourne's Tom Sparrow resulted in the Demon being concussed.
Midway through the final term, Xerri swung his arm toward a loose ball following a boundary throw-in, but collected Sparrow's jaw, and the 25-year-old was knocked out before he hit the ground.
Demons teammates immediately remonstrated as the stretcher was called by players.
Tom Sparrow came from the ground following this incident involving Tristan Xerri.#AFLDeesNorth pic.twitter.com/4LE1poUwDp
โ AFL (@AFL) July 13, 2025
The MRO could view the incident as a reportable offence, albeit Xerri was making a legitimate play on the ball, but admittedly got it wrong.
Nash was directly referred to the Tribunal following his third-term strike on Miers from Round 6, with the Irishman's actions graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
The Hawks were unable to reduce the ban, and ultimately were without their bag man for four weeks.
It is expected that Sparrow will enter concussion protocols and be ruled out for a minimum of 12 days, which, if the MRO deem Xerri's strike as reportable, will immediately bring the grading to severe impact.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin revealed that the tough on-baller was "up and about" after the gruesome knock.
"My first concern, when I came into the rooms, was to see how Tommy was," Goodwin said.
"He's up, he's talking. He's got his family and friends around him, and obviously his teammates.
"But the pleasing thing is, he's up and about, but he goes straight into the protocols.
"He'll get monitored really closely by the medical team. He can remember the majority of the game. It's a good sign."
