The Carlton coach had placed his assistants Robert Harvey and David Teague in charge of the intra-club practice match. He knew that the intense, competitive O'hAilpin had endured a frustrating week in terms of form on the track and was not surprised to see Cloke and O'hAilpin wrestling. After all, that has become an element of the Blues training under Melbourne Storm's wrestling coach.

What appears to have initially outraged O'hAilpin, who was being beaten by Cloke towards three-quarter-time, was an elbow to the throat that the club claims was not intentional.

"I thought it would be a nice opportunity to sit back," said Ratten, "and watch all the boys let off a bit of steam after the pre-season."

By three-quarter-time - after Brendan Fevola had sent O'hAilpin off the ground and Chris Judd, who had been training in the gym when the incident took place, found him and ordered him home - Ratten seriously considered calling off the match entirely.

"As we know our great game is a 360-degree situation and it spins on and off the field," said Ratten. "In the end we decided to go ahead with it. Everyone on the ground knew what had happened. There was no need to address the group although I did speak to the leadership group after the game."

"Stuff happens," was Cloke's reported response to the repentant Irishman when O'hAilpin called him to apologise late yesterday. "I'm over it mate. Let's move on."

Except that the Blues cannot. Ratten and his football manager Stephen Icke drove to the devastated Irishman's Pascoe Vale home yesterday afternoon to tell him his future at Carlton was in doubt and that he had been indefinitely suspended by the club although allowed to train with the VFL team.

The AFL match review panel will review the incident on Monday - interestingly O'hAilpin was not immediately reported by umpire Brett Rosebury - and at best he can expect a five-match suspension.

As for Cloke, as bad as he looked and despite appearing initially concussed, both club and the player's family believe he would be fit to play in tonight's NAB Cup openers were he still a Magpie.

"To his credit Clokey was pretty gracious about it," said Ratten, "and he's happy to move on. When I spoke to Setanta in the afternoon he was very remorseful, truly repentant.

"There was a bit of frustration there and he was trying to exert himself and he has always had that competitive nature and physical presence but what he did completely crossed the line and that's the message I spelt out to him yesterday."

O'hAilpin, who turns 26 next month, had his 2008 season finished after round 12 because of a calf injury and he did not resume a full pre-season until after Christmas.

According to Ratten his form had been promising enough although perhaps hit a snag over the past week but the truth is that is only the half of it.

The son of a Fijian mother he adores and an Irish father, O'hAilpin comes in the middle of three boys. Intensely personal issues have meant the boys have been estranged from their parents for long periods of time over recent years.

Older brother Sean Og is an all-Ireland hurling superstar - although currently part of a players' strike - while younger brother Aisake was delisted by the Blues at the end of 2008 when the club conceded the experiment with the younger O'hAilpin at least had failed.

Disappointed at his brother's departure the highly emotional O'hAilpin was determined to extend his 46-game career and also remained tied to his new home due to a long-term relationship with a Melbourne girl.

Both the younger O'hAilpins' hot heads have led to them clashing with teammates in the past - Setanta with Cain Ackland at training in June 2007 and Aisake verbally with playing coach Matthew Lappin in a Northern Bullants game last year when the former took umbrage at an instruction.

One of the AFL's most effective pioneers into the Gaelic talent pool, Gerard Sholly, first met the O'hAilpins in 1999 and managed the fortunes of the two brothers at Carlton until Setanta ended the professional relationship a year ago, moving to player-manager Michael Quinlan.

Sholly was reportedly hurt by the decision but remains close to the family. He was at the cricket at the MCG yesterday and had not seen the incident and did not want to comment to The Age about what "personal issues" — as the club described them yesterday — may have provoked the 25-year-old's violent outburst.

Cameron Cloke's father David was at work and called Carlton chief executive Greg Swann in a bid to glean more details. Cloke said he had no clue regarding the reason for O'hAilpin's attack on his son.

"I had a couple of my mates call me and say it was worse than Barry Hall," said Cloke. "I don't know if they're mates or not, but I don't think it was anything personal. I've spoken to Cam and he's OK. He's got a black eye and a bruised jaw but if Carlton were playing an NAB Cup game this weekend he'd have been right to play.

"Talking to Cam they were playing on each other and having a bit of a push and shove and then something else entirely happened."

Swann was overlooking the game from his Princes Park office. An AFL club CEO for a decade, a former Williamstown player and president who has also played in the WAFL, Swann said simply he had never seen an incident like it in football.

Like Ratten, the Blues boss believes both time and procedure will help the club make a decision on the future of the big athletic defender with whom the Blues have persisted since his senior debut in 2005. But neither coach nor chief executive could guarantee he would not be sacked.

"He's part of our club and he's on our list and we need to try to help him," said Ratten. "We need him to truly understand his actions and work with him."

But like the Swans' Barry Hall last season, O'hAilpin is now a proven liability with whom the Carlton psychologist has already been dealing and must now ascertain whether it is safe to play him again.

Unlike Hall, O'hAilpin is expendable. And unlike the big Swan forward, O'hAilpin attacked a teammate. "The action is not acceptable," said Ratten. "Not on the footy field, not to a teammate or to an opponent, not anywhere in society."