Roos' Pratt suspended for one AFL match - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Roos' Pratt suspended for one AFL match

22/04/2008 07:27:52 PM Comments (0)

Supportive evidence from an umpire and a clean bill of health to his opponent could not get North Melbourne defender Daniel Pratt off a suspension for rough conduct at the AFL tribunal.

Pratt will miss Sunday's game against Sydney at Telstra Dome after he was suspended for one match for his contact on Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser at the MCG last Saturday night.

Pratt had nothing to lose by challenging at the tribunal, as he would have been outed for one game even with an early guilty plea, but argued he only made light contact to Fraser's head with his arm in his late spoiling attempt on the wing in the first quarter.

Player advocate Marcus Hoyne argued the match review panel's assessment of the contact should have been downgraded from minimal to low impact, as Fraser was cleared of any injury or side effects immediately by Magpie medical staff.

Fraser kicked a goal from the resultant 50-metre penalty, and reporting umpire Hayden Kennedy told the tribunal the sort of contact Pratt made was fairly common-place in marking contests.

Pratt argued he made only "glancing contact" to Fraser's head and that most of the contact was to his opponent's body.

But the three-man jury disagreed, and ruled the backman out of Sunday's round six game.

Pratt's case was the only matter heard at the tribunal, as all the other players cited in round five accepted the penalties offered them.

Melbourne defender Matthew Whelan will miss Sunday's game against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba after accepting a one-game sanction for striking Carlton's Brendan Fevola at the MCG last Sunday.

West Coast midfielder Chad Fletcher was fined $1,950 for making negligent contact with an umpire during last Sunday's loss to Port Adelaide at Subiaco.

St Kilda's Leigh Montagna and Essendon's Andrew Lovett both accepted $900 fines for wrestling each other at Telstra Dome last Friday night.

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