Bailey Smith smashed by BRUTAL Kysaiah Pickett hit and ‘could have been knocked out’
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Demons star Kysaiah Pickett could find himself in hot waters following a brutal hit on Bailey Smith at the MCG on Saturday during Melbourne’s 17.13 (115) to 9.11 (65) thrashing of the Western Bulldogs.
With just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter of the 2021 Grand Final rematch, Pickett smashed shoulder-first into the Bulldogs midfielder after leaping in the air a split-second after the latter had kicked the footy away.
The crushing impact sent Smith sprawling to the ground, but he was swiftly back on his feet and played out the second quarter.
Pickett’s bump sparked a melee, with umpires initially struggling to separate Bulldogs and Demons players before eventually restoring order to the proceedings.
Pickett was reported by the on-field umpire and the incident will now be reviewed by Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
Bailey Smith (left) was flattened by a brutal hit from Demons star Kysaiah Pickett
Pickett could be in trouble following the hit on the Bulldogs midfielder on Saturday
Pickett’s hit on Smith sparked a scuffle which the umpires struggled to settle
Speaking on Fox Footy, Bulldogs great Brad Johnson suggested Pickett could be in trouble even though Smith appeared to be relatively unscathed.
At a time when concussion is a major issue across all footy codes, Johnson warned grading the impact as ‘low’ risked sending out the wrong message.
‘He [Smith] could be knocked out,’ he said.
‘Ultimately what he [Pickett] has done is jumped off the ground, leant forward, got him under the chin with a bit of his back — that’s the bit for me is impact and what we classify as low, medium and high.
‘The outcome has a part to play in that, so if that’s classified as “low” because Bailey sits up and plays out the quarter, I’m not sure that sits too well with me.
‘The action is no good, but the outcome is OK, so that’s where it gets lost a little bit for me.’
Speaking on Fox Footy, AFL great Brad Johnson said he felt Smith could have been knocked out by the brutal hit to his head
Former Geelong superstar Cameron Mooney echoed the stance, arguing Pickett’s tackle could have been worse.
‘He was lucky Kozzy [Pickett] because, in my opinion, it looked like shoulder on shoulder,’ the three-time premiership winner said.
‘It was when he rolled it was the back that hit Bailey in the chin. That’s why it was probably low impact and Bailey got straight back up.
‘If it was shoulder onto the chin, he’s knocked out.’
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