NORTH Melbourne is disappointed with Brent Harvey's three-week suspension for misconduct, but will support the star veteran as he comes to grips with the fact he will miss the Roos' first final.
Harvey was suspended by the Tribunal on Tuesday night on a charge of misconduct against Western Bulldogs tagger Liam Picken.
Harvey flipped Picken to the ground in a second-quarter incident during North's 50-point win last Sunday, and subsequently put his forearm on the Bulldog's throat.
The former skipper's suspension followed his six-match ban after North's 2012 elimination final loss to West Coast for striking Eagles tagger Adam Selwood and Daniel Kerr.
Coach Brad Scott told reporters on Thursday North and Harvey now had no alternative but to move on from his latest suspension.
"He's a really good player, really good players get attention, so he's disappointed, we're disappointed, but we support him as always," Scott said.
"And now we need Boomer to support us over the next three weeks and help galvanise the team to get the results that we want in the next three weeks, so he's available and can get out on the field and repay us.
"We support him and he accepts responsibility for his actions."
Harvey has been suspended for a total of 12 matches in his 382-game career.
In the wake of Tuesday's Tribunal hearing, some commentators said Harvey had made a strategic error by pleading guilty to flipping Picken but then arguing he was not guilty of misconduct for putting his forearm on Picken's throat.
They argued that if Harvey had pleaded guilty to both acts of misconduct he might have escaped with a lesser suspension.
Scott said such commentators had misunderstood Harvey's defence.
"When journalists walk into the Tribunal for five minutes, walk out and report, then walk back in they miss a fair bit," Scott said.
"So there was one charge of misconduct, there was one plea of guilty.
"All Boomer wanted was the opportunity to explain his actions and plead for leniency, which we did.
"Boomer accepted responsibility for his actions in their entirety and basically we were on our knees pleading."
Scott said the Roos had no grounds to appeal the Tribunal's decision given they could not realistically argue that the three-week suspension was manifestly unfair.
Asked whether Harvey received enough protection from the umpires against taggers, Scott said that was a question for AFL umpires boss Wayne Campbell and umpires coach Hayden Kennedy.
Daniel Wells was also suspended for one week after the Bulldogs game on charges of striking and rough conduct against Shaun Higgins.
Last Sunday's game was Wells' first senior appearance since North's round five loss to Collingwood, with the star midfielder finally overcoming an ongoing foot injury.
Scott said Wells had played more game time than North had anticipated against the Bulldogs and his suspension gave the club the chance to monitor his training loads ahead of his return in round 23 against Melbourne.
"We just see it as a great opportunity now to get the right amount of work under his belt, (he will) still play next week and, if we qualify (for the finals), then be right for the game the week after," Scot said.
The Roos coach said key defender Lachlan Hansen (hip) should be available for this Saturday's clash with Adelaide after missing the past two rounds, while Jack Ziebell (knee) and Lindsay Thomas (knee) were also expected to play.
Scott also said Aaron Mullett, Kayne Turner and would-be debutant Mason Wood were all in the selection mix this round.
Scott said small forward Robbie Nahas (shoulder) was still at least one week away from a return, while Kieran Harper would resume in the VFL this weekend after missing last round with a slight sprain of his "good" ankle.
