Essendon are set to be without captain Zach Merrett for the Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood after he was offered a one-match ban for rough conduct.
Prolific midfielder Merrett was cited over a dangerous tackle on Melbourne's Tom Sparrow during the Bombers' surprise win over the AFL premiership favourites on Saturday.
It was a similar incident to those which saw Hawthorn midfielder Will Day (two matches) and Geelong forward Gary Rohan (one match) suspended last week.
GWS midfielder Tom Green is also facing a possible ban for a dump tackle on Hawthorn's Josh Ward on Sunday.
Match review officer Michael Christian graded Merrett's tackle as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, resulting in a one-match penalty.
Christian also handed out $1500 fines to Melbourne's Angus Brayshaw and Port Adelaide's Dylan Williams for minor tripping offences in Saturday's matches.
Both fines can be reduced to $1000 with an early guilty plea.
Essendon may choose to challenge Merrett's suspension, with Richmond and Carlton successful in clearing Tom Lynch and Harry McKay respectively at tribunal hearings last week.
Merrett continued his strong start to the season with a team-high 35 disposals in the Bombers' 27-point victory over Melbourne.
That result gave Essendon a 4-1 record under new coach Brad Scott heading into the traditional Anzac Day meeting with Collingwood.
