The tackle that wrote off Power star Robbie Gray in his side's clash with Fremantle on Sunday has led to Power coach Ken Hinkley and Crows forward Jenkins to vouch for a send-off rule.
Gray was stretchered from the field after a game-ending concussion that left him unconscious on the field for a number of minutes, dumped head-first in a tackle by Fremantle's Ryan Nyhuis.
Hinkley, much like star-forward Jenkins, believes the incident commands at least some conversation on the reshaping of rules.
"(The tackle is) exactly what you're not supposed to do," he told afl.com.au.ย ย
"I donโt want to put anyone in trouble, but thatโs why the injuries come about.
"Players donโt set out deliberately to cause injury like that. But when you tackle and you take that responsibility away from the player landing, you put yourself in trouble. So clearly thereโll be some trouble.โ
Questioned on Monday morning in the wake of the incident, Jenkins said his opinion doesn't sway a certain way, but a red-card system should be at least considered.
โMy first thought would be no, but when you see a Harris Andrews or a Robbie Gray get the game ended โ it affected Port big time yesterday because theyโd already had an injury to a big player,โ Jenkins told reporters.
โIrrespective of whether you consider the player injured one of the best or worst youโre still down.
"I remember looking at the stats last night and Port had only used about 50 rotations because they couldnโt get guys on and off the field.
โIt has a big impact so itโs something worth talking about...I think it should be discussed but I donโt have an opinion either way," he expressed.
It wasn't long after Nyuhis' tackle that players from Port protested angrily whilst Gray lay motionless on the ground, attended to by medical staff.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was quick to defend Nyhuis, saying his players "split-second decision" to tackle Gray was misconstrued and unintentional.
โNo one intentionally goes out to hurt anyone and theyโre split-second decisions,โ Lyon told foxsports.com.au.ย
โClearly itโs a split (second) decision and no oneโs intentional.
โOur players have been driven into the turf unintentionally by the opposition. Sometimes it just happens.โ
Both Lyon and Nyhuis are now at the mercy of a match review, with a suspension likely in the forward's future.
