North Melbourne forward Lindsay Thomas may have avoided suspension for a crude tackle if the media didn't focus so much on the incident, says Kangaroos forward Drew Petrie.

Thomas will miss Sunday afternoon's game against St Kilda after a high hit on Western Bulldog Lachie Hunter in the final quarter of North's 15-point win. The small forward made contact to Hunter's head.

"There's been a bit of trial by media," Petrie said at the club on Tuesday.

"On the night, it looked a high tackle. It was given a free kick, and it was dealt with there and then. I thought 'that's all there is to that'.

"I didn't think it would get this far, but I feel the way it's been reported gave it a bit of momentum.

Hunter's teammate Marcus Bontempelli said the next day the hit had "quite a bit of malice in it".

Bontempelli made those comments on Fox Sports, before the Match Review Panel handed down its verdict.

Petrie said Bontempelli's comments would not have been significant if not for reporting by the press.

"I've seen snippets of what was said (by Bontempelli), but (the media) has to go and print it," Petrie said.

"He said what he said, but if you guys then don't blow it up, then no-one really listens to it."

More to come...