North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey will miss the first six matches next season after a disastrous visit to the AFL tribunal.
Harvey tried to downgrade a striking charge against West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr from intentional to reckless conduct, a strategy which would have reduced the penalty to two matches.
But the jury upheld the intentional grading, meaning he received a four-week ban.
Harvey then contested a charge of striking Adam Selwood in a case where there was limited video evidence.
The jury deliberated for more than 15 minutes before finding Harvey guilty, resulting in a two-match suspension.
Late last month, Harvey signed a one-year contract extension that will take him into an 18th AFL season.
The small forward will turn 35 next May and holds the club games record with 346 games.
“Six weeks of football at any time in your career is absolutely devastating,” the five-time club best and fairest winner and four-time All Australian said after the two cases.
“I’m absolutely shattered I will be missing six games of football for our football club.”
Had Harvey not gone to the tribunal, he would have been out of action for four games next season.
Also on Tuesday night, West Coast used evidence from a biomechanist to help Quinten Lynch beat his charge.
Lynch was facing a one-game ban for charging, but is now free to play in Saturday’s semi-final against Collingwood.
The rough conduct charge against St Kilda midfielder Leigh Montagna was upheld, meaning he misses one game at the start of next season.
Harvey and Montagna can play in the pre-season next year before they serve their penalties.
Harvey’s two incidents happened late in the Sunday elimination final against West Coast, where the Eagles walloped North by 96 points.
In the Kerr case, Harvey argued he was only trying to push Kerr and did not intend to make contact with his neck.
Harvey said he was trying to lay a block on Kerr, who had hit him in the ribs immediately before the incident.
North advocate Will Houghton QC tried to have the second striking charge thrown out, saying there was no case to answer.
The case followed an AFL investigation and the only video footage was at long range and inconclusive.
Selwood had to leave the ground after suffering two cuts to his face that needed stitches, but neither player could say how the injuries happened.
Harvey admitted that there had been niggling between them before the incident.
Houghton argued that the contact could have been accidental, meaning a not-guilty finding, but the jury agreed with the reckless grading of the charge.
