Richmond star Shai Bolton has avoided any charge from the AFL's Match Review Officer following an incident involving Sydney player Errol Gulden from Friday night.
During the third quarter of the Gather Round match at Adelaide Oval, Bolton was seen swinging his right arm into Gulden, who was in the motion of picking up the ball after a kicking-in-danger free kick was paid against Bolton.
The first penalty saw Gulden retaliate with a shove on Bolton, who was on the ground, before the Tiger rose to his feet and struck Gulden above the shoulder, flooring the Swans midfielder.
"He's lost the plot"
Shai Bolton just handing out the 50 metre free with this one.
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🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/q12VjJGNyK pic.twitter.com/fI6XUWHFjA— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) April 14, 2023
Umpire Jacob Mollison immediately paid a 50-metre penalty for the incident, signalling high contact for Bolton's hit on Gulden.
While the incident may have gained some level of attention from the MRO, Bolton has avoided a sanction for the strike and will be free to play Melbourne at the MCG next Monday.
The MRO did not hand down a single charge from either of Friday's games.
"The AFL advises the Match Review of the Round Five Friday games has been completed. No charges were laid and there were no incidents requiring a detailed explanation," the AFL's Match Review statement for Friday read.
Richmond are scheduled to play Melbourne at the MCG in Round 6 before hosting the Suns at Marvel Stadium the week after.