GEELONG coach Chris Scott has described the jumper punch from key forward Tom Hawkins that clipped Adelaide midfielder Matt Crouch's chin as "insignificant" and will only lead to a fine.
However, he is concerned the AFL's publicly declared crackdown on such incidents a fortnight ago may lead to the 28-year-old receiving a stiffer penalty than he would have if the incident had occurred earlier in the season.
Hawkins' hand connected with Crouch's chin late in the second quarter while the two had hold of each other's jumper.
Crouch reeled back but was not hurt at all in the incident.
"We've had a look at it and I think it will be bigger than it should be or would have been if there wasn't the focus on it right at the moment," Scott said.
"We think this one is more of a push than anything. [We're] not sure whether they [the Match Review Panel] will share our view but we will work through that process."
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Although Hawkins' action was nowhere near the level of the jumper punch Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin laid on Fremantle's Lachie Neale in round eight that resulted in a fine, it occurred just weeks after AFL football operations manager Simon Lethlean declared a 'get tough' approach on punches.
However after the declaration, Sydney midfielder Zak Jones was fined after he lashed out at Hawthorn's Luke Breust and struck him in the shoulder, with the MRP deciding he had used low force.
Hawkins told ABC radio on Saturday after all the scrutiny on punching in recent weeks, he had no intention of committing the act himself.
"I felt like I got him in the chest," Hawkins said.
"I know there's obviously been a lot of talk about jumper punches but in no way did I intend to hit him high after it had been pretty well talked about through the week.
"It's out of my hands now but I feel like I didn't get him high. We'll wait and see what happens."
Scott admitted Hawkins was disappointed he had left himself vulnerable to suspension given the current climate and he said no one condoned the action but argued that consistent application of the rules was essential.
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"We're not saying, 'Hey, he did nothing wrong'. Clearly, he did based on the vision. We're just saying in our view we're very confident it is insignificant," Scott said.
He said it would be a dangerous step for the game to change direction on such issues mid-season.
"That is a real risk for the game, not just in this instance, but if you change the rules and say all of a sudden everything that was OK is now not OK, you run the risk of being accused of being inconsistent," Scott said.
"I would be surprised if they said that things that are very, very minor in the context of the game should now go from a penalty, which the fine is, [to a suspension]."
