Trent Cotchin insists his focus was only on the football and not Dylan Shiel in an incident which has left the Richmond captain sweating on the match review panel's ruling ahead of next week's grand final against Adelaide.
The Tigers stormed into their first grand final in 35 years, having thumped Greater Western Sydney by six goals in their preliminary final before a crowd of 94,258 at the MCG on Saturday night.
Cotchin was involved in a heavy clash with Shiel inside the opening 12 minutes. The hit on Shiel left the Giants midfielder dazed but he played on briefly before he was put through a concussion test and ruled out for the rest of the match.
They had chased down a loose ball when Cotchin lowered his body in a bid to win the contest. Shiel was not awarded a free kick but the MRP will scrutinise the incident.
"I was going for the footy so I didn't even know he'd gone off from that incident," Cotchin told Fairfax Media on Saturday night.
Asked whether he had any concerns about the MRP's assessment, Cotchin replied: "It's not in my hands, it's out of my control. I'll just prepare as I always would prepare for a match".
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, having declared the Tigers premiership "underdogs", had not seen a replay of the incident but said he expected Cotchin would be cleared.
"I think so. At the end of the day, [he is a] ball player. I haven't seen it to be honest. Other people make their assessments and go from there," he said.
Hardwick said Cotchin would have a "tough" wait before Monday's findings "but the fact of the matter is he hasn't been reported. Was there a free kick? I am not too sure".
While commentators Cameron Ling and Wayne Carey said he should not have any concerns, Cotchin faces a nervous wait because he had already been fined twice for incidents this season. He was lucky to escape with a fine when he struck Fremantle's Lachie Neale to the jaw with a jumper punch in round eight. He was also reported for striking St Kilda's Jack Lonie in round 16 but escaped with a fine.
A third fine technically results in a suspension if a guilty verdict is given but the nature of this incident almost certainly means he will either be suspended or cleared.
He will need to hope the MRP rule that it was a legitimate attempt to win the ball. But the fact he chose to bump, rather than tackle, will likely impact on his hopes of avoiding suspension. The fact that Shiel was concussed means the impact is unlikely to be deemed low.
Should Cotchin be suspended, it would evoke memories of Tigers' great Neville Crowe being suspended for the 1967 grand final for his alleged hit on John Nicholls in the second semi-final. The hit was dubbed a "phantom punch" and is regarded as one of the most unlucky suspensions in VFL-AFL history. Crowe retired after the grand final.
Giants coach Leon Cameron said he expected Cotchin to be free to take on the Crows.
"Both were going for the footy. He's a ball player Cotchin, he's had a terrific year, I wouldn't think there would be anything in it," he said.
Teammate Brandon Ellis is also likely to be scrutinised for his bump on Lachie Whitfield in the final term after the Giants wingman had taken a bounce and was knocked to the ground.
The Tigers are aiming for their first premiership since 1980. The Crows and Tigers met once through the home-and-away campaign when the Crows cruised to a 76-point win at the Adelaide Oval in round six. The Tigers were restricted to 10 goals, with the Crows piling on 21. Led by 38 disposals from Matt Crouch, it was the third-straight time the Crows had beaten the Tigers.
"I have been waiting since round six to get this opportunity to come back and play them again. It's funny, you generally learn more from your losses, and we learnt a significant amount that night about how we played and how well they played," Hardwick said.
"There is no doubt next week we go in as underdogs - that's the harsh reality of it. They are a fantastic side, they have put everyone to the sword but we give ourselves a chance if we play our best. We are capable of beating anyone."
Adelaide coach Don Pyke will give young forward Mitch McGovern every chance to prove he has fully recovered from a hamstring twinge. Pyke said McGovern was able to run at a reasonable level late this week but would need to prove himself at full pace in the countdown.
"He will have to do some training at high level this week for us to feel comfortable taking him in. He is in a positive frame of mind and he'll give himself every chance to play," Pyke said.
Dylan Shiel went down to the rooms after the first quarter and looks unlikely to return. #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/9nM2p6zXn2??? AFL (@AFL) 23 September 2017
