MELBOURNE forward Alex Neal-Bullen has been rubbed out for four games, with the AFL Tribunal coming down hard on a sling tackle that concussed Adelaide youngster Will Hamill on Wednesday night.
Neal-Bullen pinned one of Hamill's arms while slinging him into the turf, with the first-year Crows player groggily coming from the field where he was unable to return to the game after suffering a concussion.
>> WATCH THE INCIDENT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE
The incident was referred directly to the AFL Tribunal by the Match Review Officer, who deemed the impact of the tackle as 'severe' in a grading that normally determines a minimum penalty of a three-match ban.
Melbourne attempted to downgrade the impact to 'high', which would have carried a two-match suspension, but the club was unsuccessful.
Neal-Bullen, who was remorseful after the match, will now miss Melbourne's upcoming games against North Melbourne, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs - as well as one more.
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The incident was the first serious test case of the Match Review's revamped interpretations on dangerous tackles, with the wording constituting a dangerous tackle changing from "arms" being pinned to "arm" being pinned.
The League was forced to change the wording back in June after Hawthorn veteran Shaun Burgoyne escaped with a fine for a dangerous tackle on Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield.
