Fremantle utility Nick Suban must front the AFL tribunal after the match review panel decided they could not classify his ugly grand final incident.
Hawks premiership captain Luke Hodge also went on Twitter to voice his disapproval after teammates Brian Lake and Cyril Rioli were hit with suspensions.
Hodge said the AFL policy of double demerit points for grand final incidents needs refining.
Lake can accept a three-match striking ban and Rioli also faces a one-game delay to the start of next season after he was charged with rough conduct.
But Suban potentially faces the biggest penalty if the tribunal decides on Tuesday night to uphold his misconduct charge.
The match review panel referred the case directly to the tribunal after Suban grabbed Sam Mitchell’s face in the first quarter of the grand final.
Asked why the case was sent to the tribunal, match review panel chairman Mark Fraser said: “We weren’t comfortable with what the table of offences gave us.”
The panel ruled that Suban made unnecessary and unreasonable contact to the face of the Hawthorn star.
Normally, Lake could accept a two-game ban for his elbow to the face of Fremantle forward Michael Walters.
Likewise, Rioli would have been able to accept a reprimand for his chicken wing tackle on Michael Barlow.
But the AFL’s longstanding crackdown on grand final offences cost them and Hodge was unhappy with the severity of the punishments.
“The AFL should change the double points system for GF,” he tweeted.
“It should only be for intentional contact. It is a contact sport!!”
He later added: “Yeah our players have to take their penalty but AFL bought (sic) it in to stop the lynch haymakers, I don’t think that should cover all reports.”
Hodge was referring to the punch-on between Brisbane key forward Alastair Lynch and Port Adelaide opponent Darryl Wakelin during the 2004 grand final.
The Lynch-Wakelin incident prompted the AFL to introduce the double-jeopardy grand final provision.
Fraser said the panel was sure that Lake knew he was going to make contact with Walters.
“With this one, we think that his action, by sticking the elbow out, he knows that a strike is going to occur.
“So it becomes intentional (up from a reckless grading).”
Fraser added that this was not the first time Rioli had held onto an opponent’s arm in a tackle.
“There have been occasions in the past where Rioli has grabbed people by the arm like that and briefly held it there,” he said.
“But this time he’s gone a bit too far.
“We were looking at it last time when he did it on (Western Bulldogs midfielder) Ryan Griffen and this time he’s increased the impact.”
