AFL great Brad Johnson believes Collingwood’s Nathan Murphy was lucky to go unpunished for his part in the incident that saw him concussed by St Kilda’s Anthony Caminiti.
Late in the last quarter of Sunday’s win at the Adelaide Oval, Murphy was struck high by the Saint off the ball, causing him to hit the ground and sustain a concussion.
While Caminiti was ultimately handed a three-match ban at the Tribunal for striking Murphy, Johnson believes the Magpie should have also been cited for instigating the incident.
St Kilda forward Anthony Caminiti has been sent directly to the tribunal for this incident. pic.twitter.com/F2uhi4vlsz
— AFL (@AFL) April 17, 2023
Johnson believes Murphy’s initial hit on Caminiti – before the Saint struck back – should have constituted a strike and led to a fine from the MRO.
“For me, it constituted a strike,” Johnson said on SEN Sportsday.
“I know it was a palm to the chest, but I go back and think, when I first retired, the whole thing was around the punch to the gut which had come in.
“I understand there’s a fend-off and all of those things in the game, but he with force put a fair strike into the chest of Caminiti and then the retaliation and what happened, happened.
“There are things in the game that are there and that happened … but everyone is focused on Caminiti and the outcome to Murphy, which we didn’t want to see.
“But with his strike on Caminiti, why wasn’t this discussed at all?
“It’s probably a fine if anything … but should it be looked at more closely if you are putting force into someone’s chest with the palm of your hand?”
Johnson’s co-host Kane Cornes responded to the question, where he agreed that Murphy could have been fined, but would have been against any suspension handed out.
“I think the answer is, yes, 100 metres off the ball,” Cornes replied.
“If he didn’t instigate it, then the retaliation probably isn’t there.
“I’d look at a fine, but I wouldn’t want to see him miss a game for that.”
At the Tribunal, Caminiti said he wasn’t retaliating towards Murphy but was instead trying to gain separation on his opponent with a forearm – that incidentally collected him high.
While Murphy wasn’t cited by the MRO, he will still be forced to miss Collingwood’s Anzac Day clash against Essendon due to concussion protocols.