North Melbourne has been dealt a blow on the eve of the AFL season with defender Scott McMahon set to miss the club’s first round clash against Collingwood.

The defender has accepted a one-match ban handed down by the Match Review Panel for striking Geelong player Jordan Murdoch during the last quarter of the Kangaroos’ loss on Saturday. McMahon’s sanction was downgraded from two matches due to his early plea.

McMahon will join suspended team-mate Brent Harvey on the sidelines for the season opener at Etihad Stadium.

PRESS PLAY above to watch the incident | YouTube

The Match Review Panel findings were as follows:
Scott McMahon, North Melbourne, has been charged with a Level Three striking offence (225 demerit points, two matches) for striking Jordan Murdoch, Geelong Cats, during the fourth quarter of the Round Three NAB Cup match between North Melbourne and the Geelong Cats, played at Simonds Stadium on Saturday March 9, 2013.

Based on the video evidence available and a medical report from the Geelong Cats Football Club, the incident was assessed as intentional conduct (three points), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points). This is a total of six activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Three offence, drawing 225 demerit points and a two-match sanction. He has no existing good or bad record. An early plea reduced the sanction by 25 per cent to 168.75 points and a one-match sanction.