Adelaide forward Ben Keays has avoided sanction for a tackle that led to Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell being assessed for a head knock.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Following a "confusing week" at the tribunal, Keays' tackle during the Crows' thrilling two-point win on Friday night came under scrutiny.
Essendon coach Brad Scott said Caldwell passed a concussion test and could have played out the match, but the Bombers preferred to sub in Archie Perkins instead of waiting for the outcome.
Match review officer Michael Christian said Keays showed a "duty of care" in the tackle and his actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances.
It comes after the AFL appeals board overturned three-match dangerous tackle bans for GWS' tagger Toby Bedford and Brisbane Lions star Charlie Cameron due to an "error of law".
The AFL maintained on Friday both incidents were examples of dangerous tackles.
"It was a tough week," Crows coach Matthew Nicks said on Friday night when referring to the confusion around dangerous tackles.
"We obviously look at these things and we educate around it.
"We have a complete understanding of what it is we're trying to do as a league (around concussion) and we support that as far as protecting and looking after player welfare.
"But it was a confusing week.
"We educate one way and then we have to come back and do a complete flip on that and talk now about how we're going to go about it.
"Our focus coming into this was we wanted a contest, we wanted to challenge the Bombers ... our intent was to tackle."
Essendon forward Matt Guelfi was also cleared for a tackle on Sam Berry, with the Crows midfielder's head appearing to hit the ground.
Guelfi was awarded a free kick for holding the ball, but the league-wide confusion over what constitutes a dangerous tackle meant it was still a talking point.
"It was the view of the MRO that Guelfi did not sling, drive or rotate Berry to ground with excessive force," the AFL explanation read.
"The MRO did not consider that Guelfi's actions were unreasonable in the circumstances."
Essendon young gun Nate Caddy also avoided any sanction after colliding front-on with Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson in the third quarter.
The Crows confirmed Dawson had entered concussion protocols and will miss next Sunday's clash with Hawthorn.
When asked if Caddy could be in trouble for the incident, Scott exhaustingly replied: "Who knows? Who could tell you at the moment?"
Christian said Caddy made high contact on Dawson but it was not unreasonable for the Bombers forward to contest the ball how he did.
Australian Associated Press
