Fremantle midfielder Lachie Neale insists Ryan Nyhuis didn’t mean to cause harm to Port star Robbie Gray, saying it can be tough to lay the perfect tackle.
Nyhuis will front the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night for his body slam tackle that knocked Gray unconscious.
Gray had one of his arms pinned in the tackle and was unable to protect his head from hitting the ground.
Nyhuis completed the tackle after not realising the ball had spilled out.
Neale said it was hard for players to lay heavy tackles without any risk of injury to their opponent.
“I know the sort of person Ryan is, and he’d never go out and intentionally hurt anyone,” Neale said.
“He’d be feeling a little bit bad for what happened.
“It’s tough to (tackle). It’s a split-second decision.
“We’ve seen a number of these cases over the past couple of years where unfortunately someone gets concussed or knocked out.
“It’s difficult to manage that, because you want to be aggressive and instinctive, but at the same time there’s a duty of care as well.
“Having seen the replay, the ball does spill out, but Ryan wouldn’t have known that at the time.”
Fremantle made the most of injuries to Paddy Ryder (hip) and Gray to post a nine-point win over Port Adelaide.
The Dockers will be aiming to make it two wins in a row when they take on Essendon at Etihad Staduim on Saturday.
Aaron Sandilands (calf) and Nat Fyfe (hamstring) are still missing, while ruckman Sean Darcy might join them on the sidelines after limping out late in the game against Port.
Neale and some of his teammates attended the official opening of the Starlight Express Room at the new Perth Children’s Hospital on Tuesday.