NORTH Melbourne will not challenge the three-match suspension handed to young defender Jackson Archer due to the "remote" chances they would be successful.
Archer's three-game ban for his role in a collision that left Western Bulldogs' Luke Cleary concussed was upheld at the Tribunal on Tuesday night, but the Roos have decided against an appeal.
"We've closely considered the options open to us via the AFL Appeals Board this morning, including taking into account the very best legal advice that our chances of a successful challenge are remote," North Melbourne GM of football Todd Viney said.
"Jackson's first concern was for Luke's welfare following the incident, but we're all ultimately disappointed that he was suspended last night.
"We felt we put up a strong case in support of Jackson and we love the way he plays his footy, but now we will put all of our focus on Sunday's game against Melbourne."
Archer will miss North Melbourne's games against Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney in the next three weeks.
The Match Review Officer graded Archer's actions as careless, severe impact and high contact, resulting in the three-game suspension.
The incident has been the subject of much debate over the past few days, with a number of past and current players labelling it an "unfortunate accident" and even Dogs coach Luke Beveridge saying he didn't think Archer should be suspended.
Cleary, 23, was back at Whitten Oval in good spirits on Monday but will miss the Bulldogs' match against Collingwood on Friday night under concussion protocols.
North's defence at the Tribunal centred around Cleary's decision to go to ground to collect the ball, rather than stay on his feet.
Tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson acknowledged rules encouraged players to keep their feet but this didn't always happen and "players need to be aware", saying Archer had "slowed too little and too late".
Archer said he was initially competing for the ball, then looked to press.
"I expected him to pick up the ball and stay on his feet," he said, noting players were trained not to go to ground.
Archer said once Cleary's knee hit the ground, he had slowed down and braced for impact.
"My bum's down, trying to slow down as much (as possible), hit the brakes," he said.
AFL lawyer Andrew Woods said Archer hadn't taken "reasonable care" to avoid the collision and had Cleary stayed on his feet and bent down to get the ball, the outcome could have been worse.
