COLLINGWOOD ruckman Darren Jolly believes Sydney Swans big man Shane Mumford was unlucky to be suspended for his dangerous tackle against Carlton's David Ellard given the size difference between the two players.
The 199cm Mumford has accepted a one-match sanction for rough conduct against Ellard, who measures just 177cm and weighs 78kg, and will miss the clash between the Pies and Swans on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium.
Jolly said his fellow ruckman was the victim of the AFL's crackdown on dangerous tackles, and agreed it was harder for the bigger players to avoid rough conduct charges when stopping smaller players.
"It was probably a little bit stiff in the end I thought, given that it's the way he plays," he said.
"He's a big guy, he's aggressive and certainly if you get a little guy wrapped up, you really want to drive him into the ground and I suppose you can't anymore.
"He's probably copped the big brunt of that."
Mumford was one of three players to accept penalties for dangerous tackles this week with St Kilda's Justin Koschitzke to miss the next two matches and Geelong's Joel Corey to carry 93.75 points for the next 12 months after taking a reprimand.
The suspensions follow on from Melbourne midfielder Jack Trengove's three-match suspension in round seven for a sling tackle against Adelaide's Patrick Dangerfield.
Jolly said he believed the crackdown would make players less instinctive when it came to laying a tackle.
"Players who are in that instance from now on are certainly going to have it in the back of their mind; they'll be thinking about not slinging players to the ground because the consequences are quite high," he said.
"That's something the AFL are trying to stamp out so players who are in the position when they can sling a player to the ground, they will probably pull back and not do it."
He also said the Magpies hadn't felt the need to refine their methods despite the recent focus, and wasn't personally concerned he would miss games in the future for incorrectly tackling a player.
"It doesn't worry me. With every rule the AFL brings in, you've got to adapt to it and make sure that you tackle within the guidelines so you don't put anyone in harm and you don't put the team at risk with players missing through report," he said.
"We haven't talked about it. I think you see enough of it in the media with what the AFL is trying to do so we haven't talked about it as a club.
"We know what to do."