ESSENDON captain Matthew Lloyd believes that if Western Bulldog Robert Murphy is suspended for his head-high bump on Hawthorn's Xavier Ellis, the hip-and-shoulder as we know it could go the way of the drop-kick.

With three incidents involving head-high contact this round, Lloyd said yesterday that while he was pleased players with their head over the ball were protected, there was a danger players would pull out of bumps for fear of making high contact.

Murphy and Ellis collided in the second quarter of the Bulldogs' 32-point win on Saturday. Murphy had chosen to block rather than pick up the ball and was virtually stationary when the point of his shoulder hit Ellis, who was upright but lowering himself, in the face.

"I reckon if Robert Murphy goes for that, all players would question whether you bother hip-and-shouldering because a goal might get lower or you might be hip-and-shouldering Brent Harvey and he's so much smaller than you," Lloyd said on Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show yesterday.

"I remember when Byron Pickett (charged) James Begley and it really brought to light the head-high hit and that's where I think it's been sensational, that rule because (it is) protecting the neck. The Robert Murphy one I reckon isn't going to hurt you really badly. I think it's not going to damage your neck.

"Now it's gone where you just can't hit anybody in the head. So it has changed players way of thinking. Is there any point going for a hip and shoulder …?"

Two weeks ago, Port Adelaide's Shaun Burgoyne was suspended for three matches for making contact with the head of Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell, an incident which sparked an outburst from Power coach Mark Williams.

"The result is wrong, there has to be an inquiry into it; there has to be a view of how a coach and team and club plays contested football if that particular incident gets three weeks suspension for a player like Shaun," Williams said.

The Port coach contended that under the rule's interpretation it would be virtually impossible for players to attack the ball while bracing themselves for contact. He suggested players would either have to leave themselves exposed or pull out of the contest.

Privately, the Western Bulldogs were confident that Murphy would be able to beat the charge.

A club source said the coaching staff had examined footage of the incident and believed the contact by Murphy was predominantly to the chest, and that the head contact was incidental and accidental.

In probably the worst case of the weekend, Essendon's Henry Slattery received a crude bump from Adelaide's Brett Burton as he attempted to gather the ball. West Coast's Beau Waters should also come under scrutiny for his hit on Magpie Shane O'Bree.