EIGHTEEN players will enter the new season with bad Tribunal records, with stars Alex Rance, Jordan Lewis and Luke Hodge among those treading carefully.
Under Match Review Panel changes introduced for the 2015 season, players who have been suspended for at least two matches in the past two years will have one match added to their base sanction.
No club has more than two players entering the year with a bad record, while five clubs have a clean slate.
As has been the case for the past two seasons, there will also be a three-strikes policy for low-level classifiable offences, such as a low impact strike to the body.
Players can accept a $1000 fine for a first offence and $1500 for a second offence before receiving a one-match suspension for all subsequent low-level charges during the season.
Players to record a first strike during the JLT Community Series were Liam Shiels and Kade Stewart (Hawthorn), Jarrad Waite and Jy Simpkin (North Melbourne), Paddy Ryder and Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide), Jeremy Cameron (GWS), Will Schofield (West Coast) and Mitch Duncan (Geelong).
The number of matches lost through suspension has been trending down since a record high of 112 in 2012, dropping to 104 (2013), 75 (2014), 57 (2015) and 45 (2016).
The numbers of Tribunal hearings and players suspended have also been declining, with record lows of five and 30 respectively in 2016.
Your club's players with bad records entering 2017
ADELAIDE
Nil
BRISBANE LIONS
Stefan Martin (two matches – expires round 13)
CARLTON
Bryce Gibbs (two matches – expires round 12)
Alex Silvagni (four matches – expires round 20)
COLLINGWOOD
Steele Sidebottom (two matches – expires round one, 2018)
Taylor Adams (two matches – expires round 15)
ESSENDON
Nil
FREMANTLE
Hayden Ballantyne (two matches – expires round two)
Zac Dawson (two matches – expires round 19, 2018)
GEELONG
Nakia Cockatoo (two matches – expires JLT Community Series 2018)
GOLD COAST
Steven May (five matches – expires round four, 2018)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
Jeremy Cameron (four matches – expires JLT Community Series 2018)
HAWTHORN
Ty Vickery (two matches – expires round 15)
Luke Hodge (two matches – expires round 21)
MELBOURNE
Jordan Lewis (two matches – expires round five)
NORTH MELBOURNE
Nil
PORT ADELAIDE
Tom Jonas (six matches – expires round nine, 2018)
RICHMOND
Alex Rance (two matches – expires round five, 2018)
ST KILDA
Nil
SYDNEY
Nil
WEST COAST
Chris Masten (two matches – expires round 20)
Simon Tunbridge (two matches – expires round 21, 2018)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Lin Jong (two matches – expires round nine, 2018)
