North Melbourne forward Lindsay Thomas could have avoided contact with Melbourne’s Daniel Nicholson, according to Match Review Panel Chairman Mark Fraser.
Thomas was handed a three-match sanction for rough conduct on Monday, with the club still to decide whether to take the case to the Tribunal.
“Thomas elects to bump Nicholson and when he does that there’s a strict liability rule,” Fraser told afl.com.au.
“If you bump somebody high, unless there’s circumstances outside of your control or unless there’s no realistic alternative way to contest the football then you’re in trouble.”
PRESS PLAY above to watch the incident | YouTube
Nicholson played out the game following the third quarter incident, but has since been ruled out for two to three weeks with a jaw fracture.
“The subsequent medical report we got showed that there was significant impact there, so the grading was high."
