West Coast star Nic Naitanui has failed in his bid to overturn a one-match ban

AFL players are now being asked to consider the height and weight disparity with opponents when making split-second decisions after Nic Naitanui failed to overturn his one-match ban for a dangerous tackle.

THE tackle that split the football community has been deemed illegal.

And the AFL has argued that players must consider height and weight disparity with opponents when making split-second decisions. Star Eagles ruckman Nic Naitanui will not play against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday after his challenge against a one-match ban for rough conduct was dismissed by the AFL Tribunal at a delayed hearing on Wednesday night. ROBBO’S TAKE: NIC NAT CALL WILL SHAPE FOOTY HEAD SCRATCHER: EAGLES COACH ON NIC NAT BAN Naitanui, who appeared via video link from Perth, was represented by David Grace QC who argued that the tackle on Port Adelaide’s Karl Amon was not unreasonable in the circumstances and that the impact was low rather than medium. But after lengthy considerations, the tribunal – which was directed on several occasions to ignore media commentary and “unfortunate comments” made by the match review officer - deemed it was satisfied with MRO Michael Christian’s initial assessment of the incident. A defiant Naitanui said he would not be changing his approach to the game in the wake of the decision. “I don’t think I feel like I need to change anything. There was no malice in it. There was no aggression,” Naitanui said. “It was just a tackle, I guess, and that’s part of our game. It’s been part of our game since day one. “If I was seeking to go out and hurt someone, then I’d cop what I needed to and I wouldn’t be as disappointed. “But because it was just an act that I’ve done for the last 10 years of my career, I was left a little bit dumbfounded to a degree.” Perfect 9 promo 650x90 Earlier, the ruck stood his ground amid cross-examination from AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson, adamant that he was comfortably satisfied that his action was reasonable in the circumstances. Gleeson argued that Naitanui had other options - including rotating to the left or dropping his knees - and that the Eagle had enacted the tackle with “excessive force”. But the ruck says he practiced the move often, citing weekly gymnastics training. “I’ve done this tackle on two or three occasions (this season),” Naitanui said. “I do gymnastics once a week and I practice that exact same movement where I’m rolling onto my side. I didn’t feel like I was projecting my body weight into him to try and force his head into the ground. “I’ve done everything in the best of my ability to make sure he didn’t get the full 110kg on his small frame.” The Eagles were set to consider their options in relation to an appeal of the decision. AFL counsel Gleeson was firm that the AFL believed that the height and weight of players had to be considered as part of player duty of care to do what they could to avoid committing a reportable offence and that players “compute” their height and weight compared to opposition players throughout games. He asked Naitanui how much he weighed when compared with Amon, which the ruck estimated to be a 30kg difference. But Grace was firm that “this is a body contact game” and that 110kg Naitanui was well aware of his power. “A player such as Nic Naitanui, as large as he is, exhibits throughout the game and every game, the type of responsibility and exhibiting a duty of care to other players constantly,” Grace said. “He knows because of his size the potential damage that he can cause. What he did in this case is seek to avoid any damage to Amon. “You have to take his evidence into account. He is entitled … to attack the ball with vigour, with momentum. That’s the exciting part of our game.” In fighting against the impact grading, Grace attempted to argue that Amon had been involved in a number of earlier incidents that could have caused or contributed to his delayed concussion – a suggestion that was firmly refuted by the Port Adelaide club doctor. Grace grilled Power doctor Mark Fisher, who explained that he had approached Amon on the field who said “he felt dazed” but was otherwise OK. AFL betting promo It was when Amon returned to the bench a few minutes later “reporting that he wasn’t feeling right” that Fisher said he became concerned and suspected delayed concussion - which was later confirmed. “He said ‘I’m really struggling … I can’t think’,” Fisher explained, saying Amon had suffered “confusion, disorientation and memory loss”. “(He said) ‘I don’t remember much of the game’.” He said that Amon, 22, was this week still suffering mild to medium concussion symptoms would only be considered for selection if he passed a concussion test tomorrow. “As we speak now, he is not fit to play,” he said. FOLLOW LIVE BELOW LIVE stream every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW