FREMANTLE has decided to appeal the two-match suspension Nathan Fyfe received from the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night. 

 

The appeal hearing will take place on Thursday night.

 

Fremantle plays the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday afternoon before facing Port Adelaide at Patersons the next Saturday in round 23.

 

Fremantle is in fourth spot, just one game ahead of Port Adelaide.  

 

Fyfe has being in brilliant form and is a critical part of the Dockers' midfield, which lost Michael Barlow for the rest of the home and away season to a broken thumb during the week.

 

The Match Review Panel charged Fyfe on Monday with a level three striking offence for striking Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis, grading the contact as intentional, low impact and high.

 

Fremantle contested the charge arguing it should be graded as reckless rather than intentional, however Tribunal chairman Ross Howie overruled the challenge.

 

Howie ruled that the only point of contention was whether Fyfe intended to strike - which he admitted he had in evidence - not whether he intended to strike Lewis high or to the body.

 

He outlined that determination at the beginning of the case, at which point it was open to Fremantle to change Fyfe's plea to guilty and receive a discounted penalty, which would have ruled him out for two matches with 7.19 carry-over points.

 

However, the Dockers pushed on and the young star was given 76.25 carry-over points that he would have to carry on his record for the next 12 months.

 

Fyfe is not risking a suspension longer than two weeks by appealing.