Carlton Blues defender Nic Newman has been handed a three-game suspension by the VFL's Match Review Panel for his strike on Geelong Cats VFL player Ben Pennisi on Wednesday night.
The action occurred during the third quarter of the curtain raiser to the Community Series contest at Ikon Park, with the offence graded as being of careless conduct, high impact and high contact.
However, Newman can reduce the suspension to two games with an early guilty plea.
Newman, who missed the entire 2025 season due to a ruptured patella, had been building toward an early season call up to the senior Carlton side, with his composure, decision-making and skill by foot making him a crucial piece in Carlton's ball movement out of defence when fit.
Newman's kicking efficiency ranked second on Carlton's list in 2023 (77.4 per cent) and fourth in the 2024 season (78.2 per cent) among Blues who played at least 10 games.
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