WEST Coast star Daniel Kerr and Fremantle’s Josh Carr face three-match suspensions after both were charged by the match review panel on Monday.
Kerr was charged with head-butting Bulldog Scott West during Saturday’s match at Telstra Dome.The panel deemed the contact to West's jaw, which forced the Bulldog to spend some time on the bench recovering, as intentional, high contact, of medium impact.
Kerr's previous poor record resulted in the penalty being bumped up by 40 per cent, as well as having 46.78 carryover points added on.
It meant he can accept a three-game ban if he pleads guilty, or risk five matches by fighting the case at the tribunal on Tuesday night.
Carr also faces an increased ban due to a poor disciplinary record after being charged with kneeing Geelong’s Gary Ablett during Friday night’s cliffhanger at Subiaco Oval.
The offence was judged to merit a two-match penalty, which was doubled because of Carr’s record, but can also be reduced to three matches with an early plea.
No other player faces a suspension out of the weekend's matches.
Kerr also faces a $900 fine for wrestling Dylan Addison, who has been fined the same amount. Collingwood’s Dale Thomas and Essendon’s Kyle Reimers can also accept $900 fines for wrestling each other during Friday’s Anzac Day clash.
Three players can beat bans despite being charged with striking, with Brent Staker, Chad Cornes and Ben McGlynn all offered reprimands with early pleas.
Kerr’s teammate Staker will not miss a game if he takes an early plea for striking Bulldog Robert Murphy.
The match review panel judged Staker’s strike worth a one-match ban, reduced to a reprimand with an early plea, which Staker can enter thanks to his five-year good record.
Port Adelaide’s Cornes can also accept a reprimand if he accepts his striking charge against St Kilda’s Jason Blake from Saturday’s night game at AAMI Stadium.
If he takes the reprimand, Cornes will have 93.75 demerit points, meaning that he will almost certainly face a suspension if he offends again.
Hawthorn’s McGlynn was charged with striking Richmond’s Matthew White at the MCG on Sunday. Like Cornes, he will accrue 93.75 demerit points if he accepts the charge.
Sydney Swan Luke Ablett was offered a $1950 fine after being charged with making negligent contact with umpire Michael Avon during Sunday’s draw with North Melbourne.
Two players have had their matchday reports quashed, with Essendon’s Courtney Johns and Carlton’s Darren Pfeiffer both cleared.
Johns was reported on Anzac Day for rough conduct against Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury, but the panel decided the contact was unavoidable, with Johns putting his hands up to protect himself.
Pfeiffer was cleared of making front-on contact against Adelaide's Graham Johncock after being reported during Saturday’s game. The panel said he did not turn side on to bump, and could not have avoided high contact with Johncock, who ducked at the last minute.
In other incidents assessed by the match review panel:
- Contact between Geelong's Paul Chapman and Fremantle's Scott Thornton was dismissed due to the lack of available video evidence, as was contact between Bulldog Will Minson and West Coast's Dean Cox.
- Contact between Melbourne's Colin Sylvia and the Brisbane Lions' Rhan Hooper was assessed, with the panel deciding Sylvia’s bump was not excessive, and a legitimate action given the play.
- Swan Amon Buchanan was cleared of striking North Melbourne's Jess Sinclair.
- Contact between Richmond's Nathan Brown and Hawthorn's Grant Birchall was deemed insufficiently forceful for a report.
