Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley backs the AFL’s tough stance on the jumper punch

PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has backed the AFL’s new hard line stance on stomach and jumper punches.

Roo Ben Cunnington punches Demon Bernie Vince in the stomach last week. Picture: Julian Smith (AAP).

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PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has backed the AFL’s crackdown on punching, saying there is “just no need to punch players’’.

“Common sense has been applied,’’ he said of the league’s decision to come down harder on offenders who stomach or jumper punch opponents.

“It’s common sense, you punch someone you get in trouble.’’

The AFL this week has vowed to apply tougher penalties to any punch after a season in which players who have been found guilty of stomach or jumper punching have been hit with fines by the match review panel, rather than suspensions.

Football operations chief Simon Lethlean said “players and clubs are now on notice that we won’t tolerate it’’.

“The MRP system was designed for low-level offences not to draw suspensions but we are seeing that players are not being disincentivised from these type of punches,’’ Lethlean said.

““The MRP is aware of my views and the panel has the tools to assess both player conduct and impact in regard to potential suspensions. All players are clearly on notice that we don’t want this conduct to continue.

“There will always need to be a level of impact required for a reportable offence, but players must understand they are clearly on notice for their actions if they continue to punch opponents.”

Hinkley says his players have been made aware that all punches now “have to stop and should stop’’.

“There is no need to punch players — and our players have been guilty of it,’’ he said.

Hinkley said he didn’t need to address the Power players about the new harsher rules because captain Travis Boak already has.

“Our captain spoke to them about it, which is really important,’’ he said.

“The captain said we (the playing group) want to play together every week and we don’t want to miss people for being a bit silly.’’

Hinkley said previous financial penalties “allowed for a little bit of flexibility with the rule’’.

“But now it’s gone,’’ he said.

“We’ve changed that and while we will see how it unfolds I think the AFL has now got it 100 per cent right.’’

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