Adelaide Crows key forward Riley Thilthorpe has been handed a one-match suspension for striking, while live wire teammate Josh Rachele has been fined for staging, compounding the Crows' woes after Thursday night's loss to Hawthorn.
In an attempt to milk a 50m penalty within his side's forward arc, Rachele exacerbated contact from Hawks Jai Newcombe and James Sicily. The umpire was alert to the ploy, electing not to reward Rachele's attempts.
The out-of-form Thilthorpe struck Hawks ruckman Lloyd Meek in the fourth quarter of the close-run loss, with the Match Review Officer grading the act intentional, medium impact and body contact - a combination that denotes a one-week sanction.
Crows may still elect to challenge the 23-year-old Thilthorpe's sanction, while Rachele can see his $1500 fine reduced to $1000 with an early guilty plea for the embarrassing moment.
It's terrible timing for the Crows, who are quickly seeing their season slip away, mere months after finishing last season atop the ladder.
Matthew Nicks' side have a bye this week to lick their wounds and regroup ahead of a daunting match with the in-form Cats on the first Thursday in June.
