Live: Walker banned over dangerous mid-air push as Hawks prepare to face Dogs

Adelaide veteran Taylor Walker is slapped with a suspension by the AFL's MRO as Hawthorn hosts the Western Bulldogs in a Friday night blockbuster.

Follow all the action in our live blog.

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Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:20pm

Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:20pm

AFL Friday Scoreboard

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Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:39pm

Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:39pm

Recent history between Hawks and Bulldogs

By Chris De Silva

Here's how the last five meetings between Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs have gone ahead of tonight's clash at the MCG.

R5, 2026: Hawthorn 15.14 (104) def. Western Bulldogs 8.16 (64) @ Adelaide Oval

R13, 2025: Hawthorn 12.9 (81) def. Western Bulldogs 8.11 (59) @ Docklands Stadium

EF, 2024: Hawthorn 14.15 (99) def. Western Bulldogs 9.8 (62) @ MCG

R8, 2024: Hawthorn 14.14 (98) def. Western Bulldogs 14.7 (91) @ Docklands Stadium

R22, 2023: Hawthorn 9.13 (67) def. Western Bulldogs 9.10 (64) @ UTAS Stadium

The Bulldogs last registered a win against the Hawks in Round 7, 2023 when they claimed a 29-point win at Docklands.

Can they break the drought tonight?

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Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:24pm

Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:24pm

Walker suspended by MRO, but Stewart escapes

By Chris De Silva

Taylor Walker has been suspended for one game in the fallout from Adelaide's tough one-point AFL win over Geelong.

Cats defender Tom Stewart was cleared of his bump on Callum Ah Chee.

The Crows could continue to pay a high price for Thursday night's big home win, though, with Ah Chee (hamstring) and Jordon Butts (calf) failing to play out the game.

Walker was offered a rough conduct ban for pushing Connor O'Sullivan into Crows skipper Jordan Dawson at a marking contest.

The incident was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

"It's an absolute no-no, pushing players," Fox Footy commentator David King said after the third-quarter incident.

"You're not allowed to push players into the traffic like that."

Walker kicked two crucial goals on his AFL return and will now miss their June 11 game against the Western Bulldogs, unless Adelaide can beat the ban at the tribunal.

Stewart's bump on Ah Chee was ruled as being predominantly to the body, with the star Cat bracing for contact after the Crows player jumped.

The match review assessment stated Stewart's actions "were not unreasonable in the circumstances."

AAP

Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:22pm

Fri 5 Jun 2026 at 6:22pm

Welcome!

By Chris De Silva

Good evening and welcome to ABC Sport's live AFL coverage!

We've got a blockbuster on deck tonight as Hawthorn hosts the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

The Bulldogs got back on track with a crucial win over Collingwood last weekend, while the Hawks convincingly beat the Saints.

The first bounce is set for 7:40pm AEST so strap yourselves in as we bring you all the latest news around the league before live action gets underway.