Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says AFL players might need to start sidestepping contact instead of turning their body to protect themselves to avoid the tribunal mess that Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney finds himself in.

Viney will front the AFL appeals hearing on Thursday night to contest the controversial two-match ban he was handed for his high bump on Adelaide’s Tom Lynch.

Lynch was left with a broken jaw after being sandwiched between Viney and Melbourne’s Alex Georgiou as they went for the ball.

The Demons argued Viney had made a split-second decision to turn his body to brace himself for the impending contact.

A host of current and former players were left outraged when Viney was suspended.

Outgoing AFL boss Andrew Demetriou admitted the league might have gone too far with its crackdown on the bump, while Essendon legend Kevin Sheedy described the decision to suspend Viney as “souffle”.

Former Hawthorn forward Dermott Brereton threatened to boycott the AFL’s Hall of Fame function over the issue, while ex-Crow Mark Ricciuto said players should consider striking.

Lyon said players would need to start sidestepping collisions instead of bracing for contact to avoid the possibility of suspension.

“If you feel that vulnerable … you’re going to have to take evasive action as opposed to turning,” Lyon said.

“I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. But if you’ve got a viable alternative and you bump, you’re going to be in trouble.”

North Melbourne forward Drew Petrie was so upset by the decision he wrote an open letter about the issue.

“We as players know the risks. We as players accept the risks,” Petrie wrote on the Kangaroos’ website.

“We as players accept that accidents happen.

“In light of the Viney incident and the injury report the AFL released this week, there is no need for hysteria. The game does not need to be changed to try to prevent injury or collision.”

With only one of the past 14 appeals against tribunal rulings being successful, Viney faces an uphill battle to win his case.