Melbourne will be without forward Kysaiah Pickett for their excellent clash with Brisbane after failing to overturn a one-match suspension.
The Demons led the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night in a bid to reduce Pickett’s rough conduct charge for his challenge to Adelaide’s Jake Soligo from medium to low contact.
Pickett jumped off the ground and made contact with his opponent’s head during Melbourne’s 15-point win at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Although Soligo finished the game and subsequently downplayed the incident, Pickett received his third suspension since the start of last season, this time for careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
The club argued that Pickett had not intended to hit Soligo but was bracing for impact, but presiding judge Jeff Gleeson upheld the medium contact charge after less than half an hour of deliberation.
“The contact had the potential to cause injury. A concussion or facial injury was a realistically possible outcome,” Gleeson said Tuesday.
“The impact on Soligo’s head was evident. He fell to the ground and immediately held his face in obvious pain or discomfort.”
Pickett did not appear in court, but submitted a written statement.
“I was following the ball after the center bounce and was moving toward it when Jake Soligo took possession,” the 22-year-old said in the statement.
“As I approached, I raised both arms in the air and stretched out my hand to intercept the ball after Soligo made a handball.
“My intention was to catch the ball. I collided with Soligo and then followed the ball to make the next fight until the referee blew the whistle.
“I had no intention of colliding with Jake Soligo. I was trying to intercept the ball in the air.”
The decision comes after the AFL recently amended its more restrictive rule.
Pickett’s former teammate Angus Brayshaw was knocked out with a concussion during last year’s final when he collided with Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard, who was in the air and trying to smother the ball.
Brayshaw, 28, was forced to retire early on medical advice this year due to multiple concussions suffered throughout his career.
The rule has now been modified so that when a player chooses to leave the ground in an attempt to choke, any high contact with an opponent that is considered low impact will be considered sloppy.
It comes as the AFL deals with an ongoing class action lawsuit by dozens of former players against the league over concussion.
Last week, Richmond star Liam Baker unsuccessfully went to court to challenge his week-long ban for rough conduct, also for high contact.
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AAP