Experienced Sydney midfielder Luke Parker is facing a possible suspension of five or more matches over the heavy bump that landed a VFL opponent in hospital with facial injuries.
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Parker, who has been unable to break into the AFL ladder-leading Swans' senior side since recovering from injury a month ago, ran past the ball and made contact with Frankston's Josh Smith last Friday night.
The Swan's actions were graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact at Monday's VFL match review.
Under VFL guidelines, a base four-match sanction could have been offered.
But the league is set to argue for a penalty of at least five matches after sending Parker directly to the tribunal.
AFL football operations manager Josh Mahoney said Parker's bump was the sort of incident the league was working to eradicate.
"We are trying to do everything we can to protect the head," Mahoney told the AFL website.
"We understand there are some collisions in our game but any time we can prevent an incident from occurring where there is an incident involving a high contact or concussion, we are trying to make those changes as much as we can."
Former Swans co-captain Parker missed the start of the season with a broken arm and has played four VFL matches on return.
The 31-year-old veteran of 283 AFL games is now set for another stint on the sidelines, while Smith faces a lengthy recovery period after sustaining multiple facial fractures in the incident.
Meanwhile, Essendon forward Harrison Jones is set to miss the annual Dreamtime match against Richmond after being handed a one-match ban for rough conduct over a sling tackle on North Melbourne's Zac Fisher.
Port Adelaide vice-captain Zak Butters received two fines totalling more than $13,000 after being charged with rough conduct on Hawthorn's Lloyd Meek and wrestling with Jack Ginnivan.
Butters' penalties can be reduced to a total of $8125 with early guilty pleas.
The rough conduct charge was his third of the season.
Ginnivan was also fined for wrestling and can accept a $1250 fine.
North Melbourne's Paul Curtis was fined $1250 for tripping Essendon's Ben Hobbs and Port Adelaide's Willem Drew was fined $2500 for rough conduct on Hawthorn's Jai Newcombe.
Australian Associated Press
