GWS Giants' Joe Fonti will miss the club's clash with Melbourne after having his one-match ban upheld by the AFL tribunal.
The Giants unsuccessfully argued that the tribunal could not be satisfied that the contact was high, attempting to downgrade it to body contact, as well as arguing it should be low impact, not medium.
Giving evidence, Fonti said he was attempting to smother, realised it was unrealistic and then braced for contact.
He further indicated that he believed Isaac Heeney was playing for a free kick and thus did not realise contact had been made with Heeney's head.
The AFL contended that the action had the potential to break Heeney's jaw.
2026-04-26T06:40:00Z
Fonti has played every game this year, averaging 18 disposals and three tackles.
