Gold Coast co-captain Touk Miller will miss his side's Round 21 clash against Adelaide after being found guilty of squeezing the groin of Brisbane midfielder Dane Zorko.
While Miller was not originally offered a ban after footage captured of the incident from last Saturday's QClash at Heritage Bank Stadium was deemed inclusive by the match review officer, the outcome of a league-led investigation now means the vaunted ball-winner will serve a one-week suspension.
Following Zorko's public insistence of wrongdoing on the part of the Suns' midfielder, in conjunction with the Lions' corroborating medical report, Miler was hit with a delayed ban, a verdict accepted by the reigning league MVP on Thursday night.
Both players were interviewed by the AFL in an effort to ascertain details of the below-the-belt incident, with the investigation finding that Miller was deemed to have "made contact with the groin region of Zorko in a manner that caused Zorko pain and discomfort and ultimately constituted conduct unbecoming in breach of AFL Rule 2.3(a)".
While accepting the punishment, Miller stressed that he had not been out to injure his opponent.
โIt was not my intention to harm Dayne and if that has occurred from my actions I would like to apologise to him,โ Miller said by way of an official club statement.
Gold Coast General Manager of Football Performance Wayne Campbell echoed Miller's sentiments, adding that he was disappointed the 27-year-old's reputation had "been tarnished".
โWe accept the AFL's decision but as a club we are extremely disappointed in the outcome,โ Campbell said.
โTouk is the captain of our football club and has built a reputation as a fair and strong leader who is admired by the entire AFL community.
โHe is one of the most highly respected players in the competition and it's disappointing his integrity and character has been tarnished during this process.โ
Miller will now miss the Suns' do-or-die date against the Crows this Saturday afternoon at the Adelaide Oval.
Zorko will take his place in Chris Fagan's team to do battle against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Sunday evening.
