Collingwood utility Jack Crisp is at risk of losing his record streak of consecutive AFL games after a tackle that concussed North Melbourne opponent Tom Blamires on Friday night. The 32-year-old has played 279 consecutive games dating back to July 2014, when he was in his third year at the Brisbane Lions. This is the longest streak in VFL/AFL history, surpassing Melbourne great Jim Stynes, who is second with 244.
Incident Details
Blamires was tackled by Crisp during the second quarter at Marvel Stadium, with his head driven into the turf. The Kangaroos' first-year player later failed a concussion test and was ruled out of the game, meaning he will miss at least North Melbourne's next match against Melbourne. The incident drew comparisons to a recent tackle by Blamires's teammate Paul Curtis, who was suspended for three weeks for a similar action that concussed West Coast youngster Hamish Davis.
Expert Analysis
7NEWS Melbourne's Xander McGuire commented at half-time: "Could it be the night that ends the streak with a suspension? I'd say it's less likely that that will be the case. The MRO wants the tackler to do one of two things: either attempt to roll the player so they're not concussed, or at least release them so that they have arms to brace their fall. It's so line-ball with this one with Jack Crisp. Tom Blamires does seem to have his arm out to brace the fall and maybe his shoulder hitting the ground there as well, but it's hard to argue that it's not the one motion of Jack Crisp's force that goes into Blamires's side and then causes the concussive incident. It also helps that it's not Blamires's head straight into the turf as well."
The MRO took a dim view of the Curtis incident because he did not attempt to roll Davis, breaching his duty of care. McGuire added: "A tough call ahead for the MRO. I think the fact that Blamires is able to brace his fall a little bit and he goes shoulder-first into the turf helps him, but it's not clear-cut."
Players' Perspectives
Matthew Richardson sympathised with Crisp: "I don't know what you expect Jack Crisp to do there. You're asking a lot of him in a split-second, he's trying to tackle him as he's disposing of the footy. I can't see how he's suspended, but I didn't think Curtis would be either."
Dale Thomas added: "It's hard to see a difference between the Curtis tackle and that one. If it's weeks for Curtis, it's going to be hard to sell that it's not time on the sideline (for Crisp)."
Streak at Stake
Crisp's streak of 279 consecutive games is a remarkable achievement, spanning over a decade. A suspension would not only end the streak but also potentially impact Collingwood's season. The MRO's decision is expected to be announced in the coming days.
