Players around the AFL will ask for a meeting with the League over punching suspensions the players believe are over-corrections.
The frustration of most players grew on Tuesday night, after Western Bulldogs forward Jack Redpath was handed a three-match suspension after he failed at the AFL Tribunal in his bid to overturn his two-game ban for striking GWS co-captain Phil Davis.
Players could not understand the suspension according to the Herald Sun,ย and intend to ask for a change to the appealing system at season's end.
โWe need to have a conversation because itโs an issue. Thereโs a view the penalty doesnโt necessarily fit the crime," AFLPA boss Paul Marsh told the Herald Sun on Wednesday.
โWhether itโs been an over-correction, however you want to put it, we have had a conversation about it.
โWeโve also started a discussion about how difficult it is to appeal a decision.
โIn a number of cases, players have felt quite strongly they should appeal.โโ
Bulldogs skipper Robert Murphy joined Fox Footy's AFL360 on Tuesday night, and was just one of a number of players who seemed bemused by the decision.
โThereโs a big difference between someone throwing a punch and two big key forwards and key backs pushing and shoving," Murphy said on Tuesday.
โSometimes a hand slips off the shoulder into someoneโs neck. Thereโs a chasm between that and a clenched fist.โ
Marsh was notified about the players' concerns last week, and says they need to speak to the League about the currently appealing process.
โThe Redpath issue, he got two weeks which on the surface is more than what it shouldโve been, but because of his prior record thatโs how they got to the two weeks, and then he appealed and it ends up being three,โ Marsh said.
โI donโt think that sits comfortably with anyone.
โWeโre combining two issues. Are we going over the top with jumpers?
โ(And) the disincentive to appeal because of that extra week is something we need to have a conversation about.โ
With Redpath's challenge unsuccessful, West Coast defender Will Schofield remains the only player to have successfully challenged a suspension at the AFL Tribunal this season.
