AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou believes the one-match ban offered to Sydney forward Barry Hall by the match review panel does not indicate the league has gone soft in regards to on-field violence.
Hall was cited by the panel for his attempted strike on Collingwood's Shane Wakelin, and while the Swan's swing did not actually connect with the Magpie's face, the incident was reminiscent of Hall's infamous round four blow to West Coast's Brent Staker.
Demetriou said the AFL was still sending the right message to its fans, despite delivering just a week's suspension for Hall's almost-repeat act.
"You don't judge the actions of the code by one player," he said on Monday.
"We've got an outstanding record on what we believe and what we hold dear on how the game should be played.
"That's why we've taken a view of on-field violence, drugs in sport, and respect and responsibility.
"Anyone who steps out of that order is an exception. It's not the norm, and the AFL's record on that is absolutely true."
He also congratulated the Swans on sticking to an in-house policy that doesn't tolerate such behaviour, with the club announcing Hall has been suspended indefinitely.
"At all clubs now there is no doubt that there are policies in place that are implemented and agreed to by the leadership group," he said.
"There are pretty strict rules. All clubs are striving for success both on and off the field, and if any player from any club is in breach of those rules, then it's a good thing that clubs are taking charge of that.
"That's one of the things we've been working with the clubs through our personal conduct policy.
"We've basically been saying to the clubs that we'd rather you deal with your players on issues because they're your employees."
Demetriou also said the league remains adamant a push into the West Sydney market is the right path to take, despite a Melbourne newspaper's poll stating fans would prefer to see a team in Tasmania first.
"Having spent a few days up there, I've got absolutely no doubt that our strategy of the Gold Coast 17th licence and West Sydney is absolutely the way to go," he said.
"It's our key priority in the AFL, it's what we're all working on, and we won't deviate from that strategy.
"They're our priority markets. There's a lot of momentum on the Gold Coast with GC17, and there's enormous momentum around the western Sydney licence, and I think it's something we're going to work harder on to make sure we're successful there.
"Who knows what will happen with Tasmania in the future? It's just not in our first two priorities for our growth."
Demetriou also said the ANZ Stadium curators will need to address the "softness" of the surface with West Sydney's future inclusion in the competition, after Saturday night's game revealed an unstable turf.
