Richmond forward Rhyan Mansell has received a three-game suspension for a push on Liam O’Connell that resulted in the St Kilda defender being concussed in a landmark AFL decision.

O’Connell was shoved into the direction of Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch during the first quarter of the Saints’ 82-point demolition at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

When attacking the ball, Lynch unintentionally collided with O’Connell, leaving the Irishman dazed and confused, and he was subbed out of the contest shortly after.

Match review officer Michael Christian graded the incident as careless conduct, high contact and severe impact, resulting in a three-game ban.

Richmond acknowledged Mansell’s suspension with a brief statement, but are yet to decide if they will challenge it at the tribunal.

Players pushing opponents into dangerous positions has emerged as a trend this season, but no one has been suspended for the act until now.

The AFL recently issued a memo to clubs warning them of the dangers of recklessly pushing other players.

Richmond’s No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor suffered a broken jaw and a concussion in a pre-season game in February after being nudged into a contest by West Coast’s Reuben Ginbey.

Tigers coach Adem Yze made sure to reference that incident when asked about Mansell’s push.

“Based on previous incidents, I don’t think that has been an issue,” Yze said.

“So hopefully ours isn’t either.

“We had Sammy Lalor break his jaw, if it is a similar incident, so it’s pretty hard to change the rules during the season.”

Emerging St Kilda star Mitch Owens copped a shoulder injury during a pre-season match when he was pushed into an opponent.

Sidelined Brisbane Lions defender Brandon Starcevich suffered the first of his two concussions this year when he was shoved into a contest in a practice game against Adelaide.

Saints coach Ross Lyon claimed he hadn’t seen the incident that led to O’Connell being forced out of the game and into concussion protocols.

“He’s got a shiner, but I know you’re not going to believe this, but I didn’t see it, so I didn’t review it,” Lyon said.

“I’ll leave it to the power brokers, the decision makers.

“Clearly, it seems like it’s a head office situation.”