HAWTHORN tagger Daniel Howe is set to come under match review scrutiny for two separate incidents during Sunday's clash with Carlton at Etihad Stadium.
Howe is looking at a stint on the sidelines for a strike to the jaw of Patrick Cripps in the opening seconds of the game, but the AFL's Match Review Officer Michael Christian is also set to investigate a trip on fellow Blues midfielder Zac Fisher later in the first quarter.
The incident saw Fisher leave the field and fail to return, with Carlton coach Brendon Bolton saying after the game he was "nervous" about the extent of his injury. Bolton later suggested the 20-year-old may have fractured his leg.
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The injury came after Fisher was brought to ground by the outstretched left leg of Howe, having initially tried to spin out of a tackle.
No player has been suspended for tripping since Jarryd Roughead in 2014. However, 17 players have been fined since that incident.
Howe had previously struck Cripps in the jaw, with the Blues star going to ground and remaining on the floor for almost a minute as play continued around him.
Will Daniel Howe come under scrutiny for this incident with Patrick Cripps early in the first quarter?#AFLBluesHawks pic.twitter.com/CBI6ixw4lI
— AFL (@AFL) July 22, 2018
A series of Carlton players, notably captain Marc Murphy and midfielder Matthew Kennedy, immediately remonstrated with the Hawthorn tagger.
With the strike likely to be graded as intentional conduct and high contact by Christian, the impact of the hit could prove crucial to Howe's fate.
A low impact grading would see Howe offered a one-match suspension, though the more likely outcome of a medium impact grading would earn him a two-game ban.
The extent of Fisher's injury may have further repercussions on Howe, as the pair of incidents are investigated by Christian on Monday.
Hawthorn faces Fremantle, Essendon, Geelong, St Kilda and Sydney to finish the year.