Essendon will be without defender Sam Weideman after an unsuccessful trip to the VFL Tribunal on Tuesday, with his charge for rough conduct upheld.
The VFL Match Review Panel (MRP) initially handed Weideman a three-match ban for rough conduct on Carlton player Harry Lemmey for an incident during a Round 11 clash.
The MRP graded the incident as careless conduct, high impact and high contact, resulting in a three-game suspension that could've originally been reduced to two following an early guilty plea.
However, with the Bombers challenging the decision, they a chance to reduce the suspension or have the charge thrown out in the hope of having Weidemand available for selection at either level.
The Tribunal came to a decision to uphold the three-game ban handed down to the Bombers tall.
We will be challenging Sam Weideman's three-match VFL suspension for rough conduct.
The tribunal will sit next week. pic.twitter.com/sIAcFQNr9t
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) June 12, 2024
Weideman will now be unavailable for clashes across the two grades, meaning he'll miss dates with West Coast, Geelong and Collingwood in the AFL, alongside the next three weeks in the reserves.
He will also be ruled out of games against Gold Coast, Collingwood and Port Melbourne in the VFL.
The former Demon has slotted into a defensive role under VFL coach Blake Caracella, averaging 12.4 disposals and 5.6 marks from nine appearances.
Weideman is yet to play atย AFLย level this year following a 16-game season underย Brad Scottย in his first season with the Bombers last year.
