Craig Parry wins appeal against lifetime SANFL ban for breaching 16-game suspension threshold

EAGLES ruckman Craig Parry is free to continue his SANFL career after his lifetime ban was last night overturned by the SA Football Commission.

EAGLES ruckman Craig Parry is free to continue his SANFL career after his lifetime ban was last night overturned by the SA Football Commission.

Parry appealed against his de-registration after his two-week suspension for striking North Adelaide's Matthew Campbell on Saturday took him over the 16-game threshold.

But he successfully argued there were exceptional circumstances given he had already acrued 16 games' suspension when the national policy was adopted in 2012, and he had been constantly taunted by opposition players ever since.

"There was certainly some level of concern (about the ban) ... but I had a lot of confidence in the appeal we put forward and am really stoked with the result," Parry said after the hearing.

"It's back to playing footy and looking forward to the finals series." The 2011 premiership player and Jack Oatey medallist will attend anger management classes from Monday.

"You get intimidated on the ground and it happens every week now, I think I've kept it fairly under control, it's been 20 rounds now and (before last week) I've gone through unscathed so certainly I'll do that this week and hopefully it will help me throughout the finals series."

The 29-year-old told the hearing he plans to retire at the end of the season, travel overseas then return to an off-field role within football which would have been impossible had his de-registration stood.

Lawyer for Parry, Ash Bidhendi from Camatta Lempens, said the Eagles raised concerns with the SANFL within two weeks of the de-registration policy being implemented last year, that Parry would be targeted by opponents and any minor infraction would lead to a lifetime ban.

Bidhendi said Parry never set out to attack or injury an opponent and his most recent suspension was because he retaliated to initial contact from Campbell.

Bidhendi also cited examples of AFL players allowed to continue playing with more than 16 games' suspension on their record, including Campbell Brown (28), Barry Hall (26) and Dustin Fletcher (20).

Eagles coach Michael Godden said he had instructed Parry not to put himself in a position where he may risk suspension, and as a consquence Parry had not been able to play with the level of aggression needed to compete within the rules at league level.

"It has affected his performance," Godden said.

In handing down the finding, SA Football Commissioner Dion McCaffrie said the commission was sympathetic to Parry's situation given he was the player most affected when the policy was adopted.

The commission has also accepted the rehabilition steps Parry and the Eagles have implemented but warned he would not get a second chance to appeal, meaning any further suspension would make de-registration final.