Lions star cleaned up by Hawks co-captain in AFL prelim
Hawthorn co-captain Jai Newcombe will face a nervous wait over the match review officer's findings should the Hawks progress to the AFL grand final.
In a dramatic opening to Hawthorn's preliminary final against Brisbane at the MCG on Saturday, Newcombe crashed into star Lions veteran Lachie Neale at the first centre bounce.
Neale was felled, staying on the ground for an extended period as the game was stopped.
But the dual Brownlow Medal winner was able to get back up and continue playing.
Neale didn't go off the field immediately to undergo a head injury assessment.
In commentary, Melbourne great Garry Lyon likened the incident to Geelong's Mark Yeates taking out Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton at the start of the 1989 grand final.
"It's got shades of Brereton and Mark Yeates in 1989," Lyon said on Kayo Sports.
Helping Newcombe's cause might be a slight push from Brisbane midfielder Josh Dunkley.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.perthnow.com.au — the content belongs to PerthNow.
