Brisbane defender Ty Gallop has been suspended for three matches following his serious misconduct charge which was heard at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday evening.
The Lions had pushed for a two-match charge, with the AFL submitting three matches was appropriate for slamming Port Adelaide's Mitch Georgiades into the turf.
Gallop will miss matches against Carlton, Hawthorn and Gold Coast, before being available to return against Collingwood.
"We have taken into account all matters, but in particular the following: Georgiades is lying face down, is vulnerable, and had no reason to expect that he would be lifted up and pushed into the ground, the ball had, to the knowledge of both players, left their vicinity, and in no sense was the conduct in play.
"He is lifted an appreciable distance up from the ground and not simply released, but forced back into the ground by a player in a position of strength, who had resumed his feat.
"The forceful push slams Georgiades' face into the turf. The potential for a serious injury, such as concussion, was real. The vision of the serious misconduct is startling in the degree to which it is unsportsmanlike. We note that Gallop pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and apologized.
"He did not attempt to minimize or recharacterise the description of the conduct when cross-examined. This is to his credit, and these matters have contributed to a higher sanction not being imposed. We also note that he is a young player.
"We have heard the explanation that Gallop was in pain at the moment of the incident, as Georgiades had held his injured thumb, and Gallop believed in the moment that this was a deliberate act by Georgiades that caused pain to his injured hand. It is important to note that Gallop now accepts, having viewed the vision, that Georgiades' conduct was neither illegal, improper, nor unsportsmanlike.
"We do not place any great weight on the fact that Gallop's thumb was held before the incident. He was obviously declared fit to play and did, as far as we know, play out the full game.
"Many players play with some degree of injury, and many of them wear strapping to various different parts of their body. There is no basis in the evidence to think that Georgiades knew that Gallop's thumb was broken, or that by grabbing his hand he was attempting to do anything other than momentarily restrict Gallop from resuming play.
"Gallop did not give any evidence to explain why he thought that Georgiades grabbing of his hand was improper, and it provides no excuse for conduct that he now accepts was totally unreasonable and totally unacceptable. We have considered the other incidents, including the (Liam) Baker misconduct charge and the (Jack) Ginnivan striking charge.
"While neither of those players behaved appropriately, neither incident is comparable to the Gallop conduct in terms of the severity of the unsportsmanlike behavior.
"Neither incident resulted in a serious misconduct charge, being the charge to which Gallop has pleaded guilty. We have also taken into account the other serious misconduct charges, none of which is similar in terms of the specific act performed for the present matter. The charge of serious misconduct is upheld, and a three-minute suspension is imposed."
Live blog
6.51pm: Gallop has been suspended for three matches
6.04pm: The tribunal is now deliberating.
6.03pm: Mr Anderson is back and confirms he has nothing to add.
6.02pm: "Can you here me, Mr Anderson," tribunal chair Richard Gleeson asks Gallop's counsel. Technical difficulties have beset the tribunal just as deliberations were about to start. "It sounded like he was rounding off but sometimes the last few words are the most important," Gleeson adds.
5.49pm: There have been six incidents of serious misconduct in the past 10 seasons which have ranged from a $7500 fine to three matches, Gallop's counsel points out. Only one has amounted to a three-match ban
5.44pm: Brisbane's counsel submits a ban of two matches is sufficient in this case.
5.44pm: Gallop's counsel submits it is on the lower end of such actions where an opponent's head is slammed into the ground because his head does not bounce up.
5.44pm: There were five things Gallop's camp wanted to say this evening: Spur of the moment action; he pleads guilty and expresses remorse; Georgiades was not hurt; his age and character; proportionality.
5.35pm: Only in exceptional and compelling circumstances should provocation, such as Georgiades grabbing Gallop's thumb, into consideration. The AFL submits this does not amount to exceptional and compelling circumstances as he was passed fit to play.
5.28pm: The AFL will seek a three-game suspension to send a strong message that such an action is unacceptable.
5.27pm: The AFL argues "there was no justification whatsoever" for Gallop's actions and amounted to Gallop "treating another player with contempt."
5.19pm: Asked if his actions were totally unacceptable and totally unreasonable, Gallop says "yes".
5.16pm: Gallop admits his retaliation wasn't fair and he confirms he spoke to "Mr Georgiades on the phone and we've ended it on good terms". Gallop also acknowledges it is a very bad look for the game. "There's no room for it in footy," he says.
5.15pm: There was swelling post game on Gallop's thumb so he was sent for a CT scan to assess further damage. There was no evidence of further damage but he will remain under close review by the Brisbane medical team.
5.08pm: Ty Gallop: "Mitch (Georgiades) grabbed my thumb as I've gone to stand up and out of retaliation I've picked him up by his guernsey and pushed him back into the ground...it was an immediate action, as soon as Mitch grabbed my thumb, I've grabbed him up and pushed him back down."
5.06pm: Gallop confirms he broke his thumb late in the last quarter of Port Adelaide's previous match against West Coast and he is currently wearing a thumb guard which is shown on the video call.
5.04pm: Ty Gallop is currently outlining his junior footballing clubs and journey to being drafted by Brisbane ahead of the 2025 season as the point is made that he has never previously been charged by any level.
5.02pm: Gallop's counsel references that Mitch Georgiades makes contact with Gallop's broken thumb immediately before the incident.
5.01pm: Confirmation that Gallop has pleaded guilty to the charge. He is remorseful and concedes he made a mistake.
