TEGAN Cunningham's one-match ban for a high bump has been overturned on Tuesday night, after the Tribunal found there was not enough evidence of high contact.
Cunningham was reported for a bump on West Coast defender Charlotte Thomas in the last quarter of Hawthorn's narrow win last Friday night.
The incident was classed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, leading to a one-game suspension.
Counsel Myles Tehan argued that Cunningham did not believe she did make high contact, while also filing an alternative argument that if there was high contact it was negligible.
AFLW FIXTURE Who does your team play in season seven?
In giving evidence, Cunningham stated that she made shoulder to shoulder/chest contact with Thomas, who was in the action of kicking when the bump was made.
Tehan noted that footage of the incident was inconclusive, that Cunningham kept her body low and did not leave the ground, Thomas' medical report stated that there was "no concern" and that any forceful contact was to the body and not the head or neck.
Tehan further pointed out that Thomas did not immediately grab for her head or neck and was back on her feet shortly after the bump.
As a comparative incident, Tehan submitted footage of former Bulldog Hannah Scott's bump on Collingwood's Chloe Molloy in round six, 2021, which was graded as careless conduct, low impact and high contact, resulting in a reprimand.
AFL counsel Georgina Coghlan said the crux of the report was the potential to cause injury, stating that the absence of injury does not preclude the classification of medium impact, as the AFL's guidelines state that any high bumps with the potential to cause injury must be classed at a minimum of medium impact.
The Tribunal was stood down for 25 minutes before directions were given to the jury, after which the jury of Shannon McFerran, Paul Williams and chair Renee Enbom KC deliberated for 30 minutes before returning with the verdict.
Cunningham is now free to take on Port Adelaide on Saturday night at Skybus Stadium.
