The likely suspension length for Houston’s high bump on Blue
The MRO is expected to hand down a ban, but the size of the penalty is the question.
Collingwood recruit Dan Houston can expect his second suspension for a rough conduct charge in four matches following an incident involving Carlton’s Lachie Fogarty on Thursday night.
While initially having his eyes on the ball, Houston’s last-second turn and bump on Fogarty in the second term is the source of concern surrounding his playing prospects for the coming weeks.
Fogarty was collected after turning blindly into an oncoming Houston, with the Blues small forward requiring medical assessment on the sideline before being cleared to return to the field.
Had Fogarty entered concussion protocols, or should delayed symptoms arise, Houston would be facing a lengthy suspension that could mirror his penalty from last year in the Round 23 Showdown.
Houston was handed a five-game suspension for his collision with Crow Izak Rankine, a ban that brought an abrupt end to his final season with Port Adelaide and would even delay his start with the Magpies.
Having only returned in Round 1 – Collingwood’s second game of the 2025 season – Houston’s latest high bump will likely see him rubbed out for more matches in the early periods of the current campaign, however a ban as long as five matches looms unlikely.
Given Fogarty’s avoidance of injury, an impact grading, which often decides the length of suspension for most rough conduct cases, of ‘severe’ is unlikely.
A ‘high’ impact grading looks the most likely to be handed down by the Match Review Officer, which, in combination with gradings of ‘careless’ conduct and ‘high’ contact, would result in a two-game suspension.
A suspension of that length would see Houston ruled out of a South Australia return when the Magpies face Sydney at Gather Round, while he would also miss the subsequent Round 6 encounter with reigning premiers Brisbane.
Houston’s recent record of rough conduct won’t see an immediate increase added to his pending penalty, however the MRO does have the power to “directly refer the Player to the Tribunal in their absolute discretion”, a decision that can be made “as a result of a bad record”.
That could mean the two-time All-Australian would be sent to the AFL Tribunal for the second time in less than 250 days, with a penalty longer than a fortnight a likely outcome.
A higher penalty would be handed down if the MRO deemed Houston’s actions as ‘intentional’ conduct, which is an unlikely result given the position of, and Houston’s initial focus on, the ball.
Houston was quizzed on the incident post-game, stating his focus was solely placed on the ball prior to moving into a position to protect himself.
“I thought I had a fair play on the ball and obviously I’ve gone to protect myself and those things happen,” told Channel 7.
“I didn’t actually realise it happened until you mentioned it.”
The MRO will hand down any charges from Thursday’s game on Friday evening.
