St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster has been suspended for seven matches by the AFL Tribunal.
Webster fronted the Tribunal on Tuesday evening after being referred directly to the Tribunal for his high hit on North Melbourne co-captain Jy Simpkin, with the Match Review Officer viewing Webster's action as Careless Conduct, High Contact and Severe Impact.
Simpkin has since been ruled out of North Melbourne's Round 1 clash against GWS due to a concussion sustained from the collision with Webster.
At the Tribunal hearing, the AFL argued Webster should be suspended for eight matches as a result of his actions, while the Saints did not state a specific desired length for the suspension but suggested the AFL's plea was "excessive".
Webster's counsel did note that the incident was comparable to last week's case that saw Port Adelaide's Sam Powell-Pepper suspended for four matches for a hit on Adelaide's Mark Keane.
The AFL responded by drawing attention to the fact that no other player was involved in the Webster-Simpkin incident and that Webster had time to act before making contact with Simpkin.
The Tribunal came to a decision to ban Webster for seven matches.
In the Tribunal's summation, it was noted that Webster's actions were "extremely careless" and "considerably worse" than Powell-Pepper's, and that "the risk to minimise concussion has never been more acute".
St Kilda are scheduled to face Geelong (Round 1), Collingwood (Round 2), Essendon (Round 3), Richmond (Round 4), GWS (Round 5), the Western Bulldogs (Round 6), Port Adelaide (Round 7) and North Melbourne (Round 8) to start their 2024 campaign.
Webster will now be next available to play against the Kangaroos in Round 8.
In a statement released after the verdict, Webster added to his past apology to Simpkin.
“I went into the hearing completely open to accepting whatever consequence the Tribunal delivered,” Webster said.
“I wish to reiterate my remorse and again apologise to Jy for my actions.
“I will take this time on the sidelines to reflect on my actions and work hard to keep it out of my game.”
