Browne was charged with a level four engaging in rough conduct offence after a second-quarter collision with Adelaide’s Jason Porplyzia that left the Crow with bruising on the brain, but is free to play Port Adelaide this week after successfully arguing it was accidental contact.
“The kid was confused, but he’s very relieved and we’ll see how he comes through this ordeal,” Ratten said from Princes Park on Wednesday.
“It’s another part of footy, it’s a learning curve for him, but he was very confused and bewildered by it because he thought he’d done nothing wrong. It was a great result.
“I think the result showed that Steven was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think the AFL does a fantastic job, but I think they’d be better to call the players up and explain why than maybe just letting them go through [to the Tribunal] when a player might miss three or four weeks.
“But I can see the point of view of the Tribunal and the Match Review Panel. A player gets hit in the head, and then especially with the bruising on the brain, I think the AFL, as they did, should look at it very seriously because the head is a sacred area and we need to look after that.”
Browne could have taken a three-match ban with an early plea and risked four games on the sidelines if unsuccessful at the Tribunal.
In injury news, Ratten said the club’s medical staff was debating whether to send mercurial forward Eddie Betts to a hyperbaric chamber in a bid to speed the recovery of the hamstring he strained in the eight-point loss to the Crows.
