Port Adelaide have been fined $10,000 for failing to follow AFL regulations when assessing Hamish Hartlett after he received a head knock during last Thursday night’s game against Hawthorn.

Although Hartlett passed the SCAT3 test and was deemed fit to play, he should have been off the ground for a 15-minute exclusion period to allow the club doctor to access vision of the incident, the AFL said.

Instead, Hartlett returned to play after just five minutes because Port Adelaide failed to notify the AFL’s interchange official that a head injury assessment was being undertaken as required under the rules.

While the club was handed a $20,000 fine, $10,000 of it was suspended until the end of the 2018 season.

The AFL considered a written explanation from the club, spoke to club staff and examined match day vision from the bench area.

AFL general manager football operations Mark Evans said the AFL took into account that the incident occurred while Port’s chief medical officer was managing a significant injury to Brad Ebert in the change rooms.

There were also a number of elements that hindered video review of the incident involving Hartlett.

The club had offered to address procedural and technical matters relating to assessment of head injuries, including further education of match day staff.