Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy has slammed the Match Review Panel (MRP) and the AFL Tribunal after teammate Jack Redpath's suspension was upheld overnight.
Murphy believes the MRP has overreacted on jumper punches, saying the league has become too strict on accidental hits.
Speaking to Fox Footy's AFL360, Murphy said the punishment did not fit the crime.
"I think there's a big difference between someone throwing a punch and two big key forwards and key backs pushing and shoving and asserting their presence in the game," he said.
"Sometimes a hand slips off the shoulder into someoneโs neck. I think there's a chasm between that and a clenched fist and 'I'm going to drop one on your chin.'"
The retiring captain went even further this morning on radio.
"(I'm) bitterly disappointed," he told SEN.
"Instinctively, I cannot see how that gets one (match suspension), let alone three."
Last night, the Tribunal agreed with the MRP, finding Redpath guilty of striking GWS captain Phil Davis.
Redpath unsuccessfully argued his hit on Davis was with an open hand, meaning what would have been a two game ban with an early guilty plea, is now a three week suspension.
He will now miss crucial games against Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, as well as the first week of finals should the Bulldogs qualify.
