Liam Duggan: West Coast Eagles captain cops two-match ban for bump on Adelaide’s Riley Thilthorpe

Chris Robinson
The West Australian
West Coast Eagles captain Liam Duggan lays a bump that collects the head of Adelaide's Riley Thilthorpe.

West Coast face the prospect of entering their final two matches of the season without either of their co-captains or vice-captain after Liam Duggan was slapped with a two-game suspension.

Duggan was cited by the Match Review Officer for his bump on Adelaide’s Riley Thilthorpe in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss at Optus Stadium.

The Eagles skipper opted to bump and collected Thilthorpe in the head. The Crows spearhead was able to play out the match, but spent time laid out on the turf holding his head in the aftermath of the hit.

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The rough conduct incident was assessed as careless with high contact and high impact, resulting in a two-match suspension that would see Duggan miss the club’s season-ending clashes with the Western Bulldogs and Sydney.

West Coast must decide by Tuesday morning whether to challenge the ban.

Duggan’s impending absence means he is set to join co-captain Oscar Allen (knee) and retired vice-captain Jeremy McGovern on the sidelines.

Jake Waterman (shoulder) is also unavailable, leaving just two members of West Coast’s six-man leadership group active for the clash against the Western Bulldogs: Off-season recruits Liam Baker and Jack Graham, with the latter having only just returned from a four-match suspension for a homophobic slur.

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Duggan is one of just four Eagles to have featured in every match this season, and is the sole player to have played in each of the club’s 11 wins over the past four years.

The 200-gamer wasn’t the only player to cop a ban out of Sunday’s match, with Adelaide’s Rory Laird hit with a one-game suspension for a rough conduct incident involving Jamie Cripps.

Laird’s shoulder made contact with Cripps’ head, with the clash deemed careless with high contact and medium impact. It means the important defender is set to miss Saturday night’s blockbuster match-up against Collingwood.

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