Hawkins cops one-match AFL ban

Geelong have accepted the one-match ban offered to Tom Hawkins, ruling the key forward out of Saturday’s top-four showdown against North Melbourne.

Hawkins risked being slugged with a two-match sanction had he unsuccessfully challenged the ban at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Cats coach Chris Scott said on Monday he was “shocked” to learn that the match review penal had charged Hawkins for a low-impact cuff to the jaw of GWS co-captain Phil Davis.

The MRP deemed the blow to be intentional, with low impact to the head.

“The most I can say is that it took me by surprise … I’d seen the incident and I didn’t really give it a second thought,” Scott told Fox Footy on Monday night.

The tribunal will not be required to sit this week after all players charged from round 11 accepted early guilty pleas.

Hawthorn ruckman Jonathon Ceglar will miss Friday night’s encounter against Essendon after taking the one-game sanction for striking Melbourne key forward Jesse Hogan.

Gold Coast vice-captain Tom Lynch was fined $1500 for punching Sydney’s Jeremy Laidler in the stomach.

Demons co-captain Nathan Jones is $2500 out of pocket for a third wrestling offence.

Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko, Carlton’s Levi Casboult and Essendon’s Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti were fined $1000 apiece for different offences.

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