'No accident': Fans rage over sickening Patrick Dangerfield incident
Patrick Dangerfield faces a nervous wait to see whether or not he'll be charged by the AFL Match Review Panel for a brutal bump on Jake Kelly on Saturday.
Kelly was heavily concussed after a head clash with Dangerfield in Adelaide's shock win over Geelong.
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Dangerfield left his feet to bump Kelly after the Crows star had hand-passed the ball, instead collecting Kelly in the face with his head.
Kelly was taken from the field on a stretcher and subbed out of the game under the AFL's new medical rule.
Geelong coach Chris Scott defended the actions of Dangerfield.
"Sometimes players run into each other and there's a head clash," Scott said after the game.
"To my eye, it looked like (Dangerfield) was doing everything he could to protect himself and the other player."
Kelly's injury substitute Mitch Hinge then dislocated his right shoulder twice and the Crows also lost half-back Luke Brown to an Achilles injury.
Fans called for Dangerfield to be suspended over the sickening incident.
There's nothing accidental about that at all. 2 weeks.
— Ando (@Tigers_of_Old) March 20, 2021
Chose to bump. High impact. Careless. Bye bye danger.
— Baron Blackheart (@dannylaconic) March 20, 2021
Did he have to bump, no. Does the AFL expect a player to have a duty of care if they choose to bump, yes. He hit him in the head, doesn’t matter if it’s an accident. Stretcher outcome doesn’t help. All in all 2 weeks if pleads guilty I think
— Steve Hatsi (@stevehatsi) March 20, 2021
Watch him get off! Should be two weeks minimum. Went the bump not the ball. Should be rubbed out.
— Dayne (@Dayne14185871) March 20, 2021
Taylor Walker stars as Crows shock the Cats
Kelly and Brown were sidelined in a first half dominated by Taylor Walker, who kicked four goals and set up another as Adelaide crafted a 38-point advantage.
The Crows went on to seal the first boilover of the season, last year's wooden-spooners stunning last year's grand finalists with a 15.13 (103) to 13.13 (91) win at Adelaide Oval.
Walker kicked five goals to inspire the unfancied Crows, who lost three players to injury.
"We had a few soldiers down early," Nicks said.
"For the boys to hang on and grit it out, I thought their intensity was the best I have seen.
"(But) we have got to be really careful. We have won round one, a great start for us.
"And it's going to give our players belief, our staff belief, our supporters and our members belief - and that is great.
"Now, we need to do it again."
The Crows stretched their lead to a game-high 43 points in the 13th minute of the third term before Geelong finally clicked into gear with four unanswered goals in nine minutes.
But the Cats, 19 points down at three quarter-time, were unable to make much more headway and lost utility Sam Menegola to a shoulder injury.
Walker found scoring allies in first-gamer James Rowe, Ned McHenry and Billy Frampton, who each kicked two goals.
And the Crows midfield, headed by Rory Laird (27 disposals, six tackles), Ben Keays (23 possessions, eight inside 50s), and skipper Rory Sloane (20 touches), shaded their highly-rated opponents.
Dangerfield was a standout with 26 disposals featuring eight inside 50s, while ex-Hawthorn winger Isaac Smith was influential, particularly late, with 21 disposals and two goals.
Smith's fellow mature-aged recruit Shaun Higgins (22 possessions) was solid while Tom Hawkins and Brandan Parfitt booted two goals apiece.
with AAP
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