RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has pointed to Bachar Houli's clean tribunal record as the Tiger defender prepares to deal with the aftermath of a game-ending hit on Carlton's Jed Lamb.
The umpire immediately reported Houli, who swung his left arm behind him and connected with Lamb's head in an off-the-ball incident in the first quarter of Sunday's game at the MCG.
Lamb crashed to the deck from the impact and laid motionless on the edge of the centre square, before two Blues trainers carried the distressed 24-year-old from the field.
He failed a concussion test and took no further part in the contest, which the Tigers won by 26 points.
Houli's only previous indiscretion saw him receive a $900 fine for wrestling in 2014. He went on to be one of Richmond's best players on Sunday, with 28 disposals.
Five talking points: Richmond v Carlton
"I didn't see it. I know that's an easy thing to say, but I can honestly say I didn't," Hardwick said of the incident.
"But, at the end of the day, there are other people who make those decisions – not me.
"Bachar is one of those guys, I don't think I need to say what his record is. Whatever the incident is, we'll move on."
Carlton coach Brendon Bolton said he missed the contact and only "saw (Lamb) coming off".
"I haven't spoken to him – I haven’t had a chance – but obviously he missed the game," Bolton said.
"So that's the concussion test and our medicos following good, strong protocol, because we know we want to look after players' welfare.
"If he's missed the game, he must've been a little bit dodgy at the time. That's what it's designed for, because 10 or 15 years ago, you send players back out, but not anymore."
