North Melbourne will not appeal Jackson Archer's upheld three-match suspension for rough conduct on Western Bulldogs defender Luke Cleary, after the AFL Tribunal chose not to downgrade his act on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old attacked a ground ball in the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to the Bulldogs, collecting Cleary with his knee, who dove head-first over the Sherrin.
Archer's conduct was deemed careless with severe impact and high contact, resulting in a three-match ban.
Archer's team argued the incident was an "unfortunate accident".
Jackson Archer has received a three-match ban for this incident involving Luke Cleary.
Full MRO findings: https://t.co/6PGZBhPYDT pic.twitter.com/s8Xhb1kGOD
โ AFL (@AFL) March 16, 2025
Archer said he did not anticipate Cleary would go to ground, and that he thought Cleary would reach the ball first and keep his feet, which would mean he should lay a tackle. However, he realised late (when Cleary's knee hit the ground as he gathered the ball) that he would have to brace for impact as he rapidly approached Cleary crouched over the ball.
Cleary also responded to Archer's message reaching out to the concussed Bulldog the day after the incident, and replied to Archer's remorseful text that it wasn't Archer's fault the collision occurred.
The AFL's lawyer Andrew Woods asked if Archer accepted the fact he should've slowed a bit earlier than he did. The AFL's position was of the belief that it was rough conduct and unreasonable in the circumstances as Archer should have realised he wouldn't have collected the ball first and thus should have taken more duty of care for his opponent instead of continuing to charge in.
After 40 minutes of deliberation, Jackson's verdict was in, with the Kangaroos defender's sentence upheld and won't play until Round 5, which will be North Melbourne's clash against Gold Coast.
Kangaroos general manager Todd Viney said there was only a "remote" chance Archer's suspension could be overturned, despite the decision being divisive.
"We've closely considered the options open to us via the AFL Appeals Board this morning, including taking into account the very best legal advice that our chances of a successful challenge are remote," Viney said.
"Jackson's first concern was for Luke's welfare following the incident, but we're all ultimately disappointed that he was suspended last night.
"We felt we put up a strong case in support of Jackson and we love the way he plays his footy, but now we will put all of our focus on Sunday's game against Melbourne."
Archer will miss games against Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney.
