North Melbourne's Lindsay Thomas has copped a three-match sanction for rough conduct.
Thomas made contact with Melbourne's Daniel Nicholson during the third quarter of Saturday's game.
The forward can escape with a two-match ban with an early plea.
Is the penalty too harsh? Have your say below.
PRESS PLAY above to watch the incident | YouTube
The Match Review Panel's findings were as follows:
Lindsay Thomas, North Melbourne, has been charged with a Level Three engaging in rough conduct offence against Daniel Nicholson, Melbourne, during the third quarter of the Round 18 match between North Melbourne and Melbourne, played at Etihad Stadium on Saturday July 28, 2012.
In summary, due to an existing poor record, he can accept a two-match sanction with an early plea.
Based on the video evidence available and a medical report from the Melbourne Football Club, the incident was assessed as negligent conduct (one point), high impact (three points) and high contact (two points). This is a total of six activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Three offence, drawing 325 demerit points and a three-match sanction. He has an existing bad record of 60 demerit points carried over from within the last 12 months, increasing the penalty to 385 points and a three-match sanction. An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to 288.75 points and a two-match sanction.
