West Coast's Willie Rioli is sure to have gained the attention of the Match Review Officer for a late high hit on Suns midfielder Matthew Rowell in Sunday night's clash at Optus Stadium.

In the third term of the game, Rowell flew back with the flight to contest for a mark and was met by a leaping bump from Rioli, who arrived late to the contest.

Despite the incident not warranting a free-kick to Rowell, Rioli is likely to come under scrutiny from the MRO for the incident, with the premiership Eagle likely to face time on the sidelines.

In what was Rioli's first match since 2019, the exciting forward is sure to face a nervous wait as to whether he'll line up in West Coast's Round 2 clash with North Melbourne next Sunday.

“We love big clashes in our game, but one player keeps his eye on the ball because he thinks the game will protect him and the other takes his eyes off it, turns, protects himself. He doesn’t protect Matt Rowell,” analyst David King said on Fox Footy following the match.

The AFL has expected to release their MRO findings from Sunday's matches after 5pm AEDT on Monday.

The round has already seen Lion Mitch Robinson handed a one-game ban for a high collision with Port Adelaide's Xavier Duursma, while Bomber Sam Draper and Saint Dougal Howard have both received sanctions for separate incidents.

Rioli recorded 13 possessions, four tackles and six clearances in his return game, with senior coach Adam Simpson praising the 26-year-old post-match.

“He’s been through a lot. A few people wrote him off and said he shouldn’t come back,” Simpson said.

“It’s been two years. Obviously dealing with a return to play has been probably off Broadway a little bit with what’s going on with us at the moment with injuries and with Jack and all those types of things.

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“But he would have dealt with a lot in the build up to today. Just to get a game under his belt, he performed well, players love him and his sense of belonging is very strong. He feels like he’s home.”

Sunday losses have placed the Eagles and Roos chasing their first wins of the season when they meet next week, with West Coast are scheduled to face rivals Fremantle and Collingwood in the succeeding rounds.