AFL Daily: Ben Cunnington warned he's walking a fine line after fourth striking sanction

North Melbourne's Ben Cunnington has racked up his fourth striking fine this season and he's now at risk of being sent directly to the tribunal if he offends again. RECAP THE DAY'S NEWS.

The AFL has put Ben Cunnington on notice that he will likely face suspension at the tribunal unless he stops gut-punching opponents.

The onballer was fined $5000 for his fourth striking charge of the season when he floored Saint Jade Gresham on Sunday.

Cunnington, 28, swung his left arm into Gresham’s stomach, leaving the St Kilda midfielder hunched over on the ground.

The clearance king is free to take on Essendon in a crucial clash on Saturday, but will face the judiciary if he dishes out one more intentional off-the-ball strike.

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Cunnington, who is fourth in the AFL Coaches' Association award, has already been fined for whacking Docker Nathan Wilson and Port Adelaide pair Robbie Gray and Brad Ebert this season.

His fines this season total $15,400.

Match review panel officer Michael Christian said the league had the power to engage the tribunal based on a player’s repeat behavior “over the course of the season”.

He said the league was trying to stamp these sort of unnecessary hits out of the game.

“There has been a number of offences he (Cunnington) has obviously been involved in,” Christian said.

“I think we are making a stand in terms of ensuring that players don’t do it. “In this particular case there is an option going forward of potentially going to the tribunal based on the record of a player.”

Ben Cunnington has been fined for striking for the fourth time season.

Cunnington’s strike was graded as intentional conduct with low impact to the body.

The All-Australian contender is a $41 chance with TAB to win the Brownlow Medal this season, averaging 28 possessions and eight clearances a game.

The Geelong Falcon has emerged as the Kangaroos’ most important player as North tries to storm into the top-eight, despite parting ways with coach Brad Scott earlier this season.

They are only four points outside the eight.

Christian said the evidence suggested these sort of behind-play hits were on the decline.

“At the end of the day, we feel like we are acting in the appropriate manner and consistent manner in relation to these body strikes,” he said.

“There is a couple this round. Are we seeing less of them? Yeah I would say overall, probably we are.”

Eight other players were fined across the round including Hawthorn tagger Daniel Howe for kneeing Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury on Friday night.It was graded as careless conduct with low impact to the head.

“He was obviously being held down by Scott Pendlebury, then Brayden Maynard came rushing in and it looked - in terms of all the evidence - that the measure was there as more of a protective mechanism,” Christian said. “We determined it was a careless action rather than an intentional action.”

Originally published as AFL Daily: Ben Cunnington warned he's walking a fine line after fourth striking sanction

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