RICHMOND defender Nathan Broad has apologised to Tigers coach Damien Hardwick for the sickening sling tackle that is expected to see him sidelined for Friday night’s blockbuster with Collingwood at the MCG.
Broad could be looking at a lengthy early-season holiday for the dangerous hit on young Adelaide defender Patrick Parnell in Saturday’s 32-point win over the Crows at Adelaide Oval.
Parnell spent a couple of minutes on the ground before he was helped off the field by club trainers and was subbed out of the game in the first quarter.
The Crows' high performance boss Darren Burgess confirmed post-match that Parnell had suffered a concussion and had been placed into the League's concussion protocols, effectively ruling the 21-year-old out of next round's Showdown.
“Nathan came and apologised to me, and he’ll apologise to the young man as well,” Hardwick said.
“It was just one of those ones, no-one goes out there deliberately trying to hurt a player.
“(It was) in the heat of the battle and he’s got a duty of responsibility. He knows that and we understand that. That’ll be dealt with during the week.”
Hardwick said superstar Dustin Martin was substituted out of the game in the last quarter to manage his workload heading into a six-day break before the clash with Collingwood.
There will also be question marks about gun recruit Jacob Hopper, who picked up an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, but was able to finish the game.
CROWS v TIGERS Full match coverage and stats
“We’ll get scans and work our way through that one,” Hardwick said.
“We’re confident he’ll play next week, but we’ll wait and see.”
The Tigers survived a massive scare from the Crows to win their first game of the season.
They led by 45 points at halftime before the Crows narrowed the margin to a solitary point midway through the last quarter.
“We had three outstanding quarters, and one really poor quarter,” Hardwick said.
“That third quarter … they smacked us in every facet of the ground.
“I was really pleased with quarter four, it got back to a Richmond game. We were pretty happy with that.”
For the Crows, it was a missed opportunity for the second week in a row to the dismay of coach Matthew Nicks.
The biggest issue was allowing the Tigers to string eight consecutive goals together across the first and second quarters, and another five straight goals to finish the game.
“It was quite painful, and we’re all frustrated now,” Nicks said.
“You saw our best, but unfortunately you’re seeing both sides.
“We have to get better in those moments when two or three goals are kicked against us.
“We’ve had this issue before, today was on steroids unfortunately.”
The Crows now turn their attention to next Saturday night’s Showdown against cross-town rivals Port Adelaide, who will be smarting after a 71-point flogging at the hands of Collingwood.
“I love Showdown week, I think we all do,” Nicks said.
“Our guys will be chomping at the bit, and so will they.”
