COLLINGWOOD midfielder Steele Sidebottom faces a nervous wait after being reported for a first-quarter clash with Maverick Weller at Etihad Stadium on Friday night that saw the Saint substituted from the match with concussion.
Sidebottom was reported for engaging in rough conduct in the opening seconds of the Pies' 86-point win, after he ran in from a wing at the opening bounce and appeared to hit Weller with an elbow to the jaw.
The Magpie's cause will not be helped by the fact he was off the ground at the time of contact.
However, Alan Richardson's post-match comments about Weller's condition could help to mitigate any penalty, with the St Kilda coach saying the former Gold Coast Sun was a slight chance to play next week.
Weller had the staggers immediately after the collision with Sidebottom, but did not leave the ground for another two minutes.
He was then assessed under the new rule that allows teams to test players with suspected concussion for 25 minutes before deciding whether to substitute them out of the game permanently.
Richardson said Weller had been close to returning to play out the game.
"He looks OK, he was in my meeting at the end," Richardson said of Weller.
"He must have been touch and go because it took a while (to sub him from the game).
"We obviously enacted the (concussion) sub and then the plan was to take the sub back out.
"Now we obviously didn't do that, but I would think he would be a slight chance for next week."
Richardson had not seen a replay of Weller's clash with Sidebottom, but said it seemed both players were contesting the footy.
"(Weller) was going for the footy, Sidebottom was coming off the square and they collided at a ball that was up around head height, that's what it looked like to me," Richardson said.
Asked whether he thought Weller had been "picked off" by Sidebottom, Richardson reiterated that both players had been contesting the ball.
"Obviously (Sidebottom) collected him in the head, but it looked like it was about (contesting) the ball to me," Richardson said.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he hadn't seen the incident, but realised Sidebottom would be scrutinised by the MRP.
"Obviously with Weller not coming back on the field, depending on the intent and how the Match Review Panel reads it, we'll see what the verdict is and go from there," Buckley said.
Sidebottom has not been reported before in his five-and-a-half season career, but is not eligible for a good record discount on any penalty given he has not played for the required six seasons.
