PORT Adelaide has appealed the three-week suspension handed down to midfielder Andrew Moore after he was found guilty of intentionally making contact with an umpire in the SANFL.
The Power were dissatisfied with the severity of the sentence and are expecting their appeal to be heard on Thursday afternoon.
Moore, who would have been considered to replace injured midfielder Ollie Wines in Saturday night's clash against Hawthorn, pleaded guilty to the offence at Tuesday night's hearing.
Injured Wines to miss at least a month
The 23-year-old claimed he was trying to demonstrate to the umpire a previous on-field incident with opponent Heath Caldwell.
The umpire involved, Craig Fleer, described Moore's contact as "something totally minor" and wasn't even aware of the contact until a colleague pointed it out after the game.
However, Tribunal commissioner Ian White rejected Moore's evidence and said the young umpire had been forced to take "a step and a half" backwards.
Under the AFL's guidelines, intentional contact with an umpire is a charge sent direct to the Tribunal.
Moore, who last played at senior level in the Power's preliminary final loss to Hawthorn last year, will be unavailable for matches against the Hawks, Adelaide and West Coast, unless the appeal is successful.
SANFL general manager of football Adam Kelly said umpires needed to be sacrosanct on field.
"It is imperative all umpires are able to participate in our game in an environment which reflects the respect we have for the important role they play," he told the SANFL website.
