Andrew Swallow says the Match Review Panel has players "scratching their heads"
NORTH Melbourne captain Andrew Swallow has raised concern over the Match Review Panel and its "inconsistent" findings.
Swallow, an AFLPA delegate, highlighted his disappointment in the bump being removed from the game and prompted changes to the League's judicial system.
"There's probably a couple of inconsistencies at the moment in it," Swallow said on Channel Nine's The Footy Show.
"And the players are probably scratching their heads at it wondering why's this person getting this many weeks and this person not?
"Guys are getting the carryover points. (I'm not sure) whether that needs to be scrapped.
"There's also the thing with the early plea, and I don't know whether [that] quite works and if guys have got carryover points but then they get points off for the early plea."
Comparisons have been made over Fremantle's Nathan Fyfe's two-match ban and the suspension handed down to Brisbane Lion Daniel Merrett in recent weeks.
Fyfe's accidental head clash drew blood from Gold Coast opponent Michael Rischitelli, while Merrett's raised forearm on Sun David Swallow received the same penalty.
Both Fyfe and Merrett had carryover points prior to their incidents in the past two weeks.
Swallow questioned the outcome of the two incidents.
"What Fyfe did, I don't think there was a whole lot of wrong in it, the other situation (Merrett), there seemed to be a bit more intent in that one," he said.
"If there's any initial contact below the shoulder, I think that's fine. I think if there's a head clash as a result after, I think that's just life sometimes.
Swallow is confident in returning to North Melbourne's VFL affiliate, North Ballarat, next week, requiring "one or two weeks" before a return to the senior side.
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