Hawthorn forward Mabior Chol has seen his three-game suspension for rough conduct on Geelong's Tom Stewart dismissed at the AFL Tribunal.
The three-game suspension resulted from MRO gradings of careless conduct, high contact and severe impact for Chol's dangerous tackle on Stewart in the opening term of last Friday's preliminary final.
At Tuesday's Tribunal hearing, the Hawks argued that the incident did not warrant a careless conduct grading and, therefore, should not have been a reportable offence.
Chol did not give evidence during the hearing.
The Hawks stated that the result of the tackle was beyond Chol's control, and that he did not tackle Stewart in a driving motion with excessive force.
They continued to argue that Chol's legs were tangled with Stewart's as a result of Hawks teammate Sam Butler's role and position in the contest.
Mabior Chol has received a three-match suspension for this incident involving Tom Stewart.
Full details: https://t.co/qYb2ZGYuAe pic.twitter.com/pWdkIgFHiT
— AFL (@AFL) September 20, 2025
The Hawks, who called on North Melbourne forward Paul Curtis' dangerous tackle charge from earlier in the year as evidence, stated Chol attempted to roll Stewart, unlike Curtis in his tackle on Port Adelaide's Josh Sinn.
They also described the incident as "a very unfortunate football accident".
The AFL stated Chol's actions failed to discharge a duty of care to his fellow player, and that they were unreasonable in the circumstances.
The Tribunal found that Chol did not engage in rough conduct, with Butler's tackle affecting Chol directly. The Tribunal also noted Chol had little control of the tackle, and that the limitation of pinning Stewart's arms was not absolute.
The verdict of the Tribunal has freed Chol to play at the start of next season.
