Hawthorn survived a massive scare but the Hawks’ biggest concerns are set to come on Sunday when the AFL match review officer’s findings are handed down.
Co-captain James Sicily and former vice-captain Dylan Moore are likely to face scrutiny for gut punches during the third quarter of the three-point win over Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
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Both Moore and Sicily gave away off the ball free kicks after appearing to strike Port opponent Logan Evans during the third term.
Moore’s hit looked to come more to Evans’ side than his stomach, but it was still a closed-fist action off the ball. Hawks legend Jason Dunstall labelled it as “probably a week” on Fox Footy’s commentary.
You can watch the punches in the video player above.
Evans was again the victim of an off-the-ball hit late in the third quarter, and this time it was skipper Sicily who disappointingly committed the transgression.
Dunstall was none too pleased with either act.
“I find it incredibly frustrating when I watch acts of ill-discipline or petulance like that,” Dunstall said.
“You’ve got to be able to cope with that (opposition irritants), and the fact is, those players may find themselves out for a week for something that minor, and don’t begrudge if they get rubbed out for a week — they know what the rules are.”
Former West Coast coach Simpson added: “When it’s your captain, as well … when the focus in the off-season has been on that, that’s what you need to avoid when you retaliate.”
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell post-match said “I haven’t seen it and I hope not” when pressed on the incidents.
The AFL has made no secret of its harder stance against gut punches this year, with such acts now graded as medium impact rather than low in the MRO matrix, resulting in one-match bans on the majority of occasions.
It means Hawthorn will have a nervous wait heading into its Anzac Day blockbuster against Gold Coast.
Sicily was fortunate his act didn’t cost his side more after he was around 100m off the ball and allowed Port ruck Jordan Sweet to have a shot after the three-quarter-time siren which he missed.
After a dominant first term where it simply looked like Hawthorn by how much, Port was only denied a massive upset after Mitch Georgiades missed a long-range set shot with under a minute remaining.
Nick Watson sparked Hawthorn’s makeshift attack with an equal career-high five goals, all of which came in the first and third terms.
The man nicknamed the Wizard sent a scare through the Hawks’ camp in the last quarter when he left the ground in pain. His thumb required strapping on the bench.
“It was just a jar, definitely gave me some trouble. I’ll be fine,” Watson told Fox Footy post-match.
Jason Horne-Francis and Zak Butters, who has been linked with a move to the Hawks, were brilliant in a tough loss for Port.
Originally published as ‘Petulance’: Shock as Hawthorn throw two punches on same player
