The North Melbourne forward can accept a two-match sanction with an early plea.
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The Match Review Panel's findings were as follows:
Lindsay Thomas, North Melbourne, has been charged with a Level Three misconduct offence (250 demerit points, two-match sanction) for misconduct in that he headbutted Jacob Townsend, GWS Giants, during the fourth quarter of the Round 14 match between North Melbourne and the GWS Giants, played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday June 30, 2013.
In summary, due to his previous poor record, his two-match sanction must remain at two matches, even with an early plea.
Based on the video evidence available and a medical report from the GWS Giants 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 250 demerit points and a two-match sanction. He has an existing bad record of 88.75 demerit points carried over from within the last 12 months, increasing the penalty to 338.75 points and a three-match sanction. An early plea reduces the sanction by 25 per cent to 254.06 points and a two-match sanction.
