Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas and star midfielder Robbie Gray to feel AFL match review panel heat

SIGNS of frustration continue to creep in at Port Adelaide where ill-discipline has seen the club move to the top of an unwanted league record with the MRP.

SIGNS of frustration continue to creep in at Port Adelaide where ill-discipline has seen the club move to the top of an unwanted league record with the Match Review Panel.

Tom Jonas (striking) and Robbie Gray (tripping) were both reported during Saturday night’s loss to the Eagles and if both sanctioned will be the seventh time a Power player has been charged this season.

The major talking point from the eight-point loss to the Eagles was Jonas’ headhigh hit on West Coast’s Andrew Gaff who was stretchered from the ground in a neck brace.

Gaff was later cleared of injury but did not return to the field after the incident.

Public opinion is divided over what penalty Jonas will get for striking Gaff to the head with his forearm but a benchmark may be Gold Coast’s Steven May who was banned for five matches for his hit on Brisbane’s Stefan Martin in Round 4.

May’s case was deemed careless, high contact and severe impact and he was given four matches plus an extra game because of his poor record.

Eagle Andrew Gaff unconscious after colliding with Tom Jonas. Picture: Mark Brake

Jonas will avoid that extra penalty as he has only been suspended once in his 82-game career — for three games for rough conduct in 2013.

But he is still expected to feel the wrath of the tribunal which amended its guidelines this season to consider intentional strikes to the head as having the potential to cause serious injury.

The Match Review Panel will distribute it’s findings on Monday but it’s likely that the Jonas report will be sent straight to the tribunal which sits on Tuesday night.

The Gray report — for tripping West Coast’s Mark LeCras — is expected to be dealt with by the MRP.

Prior to Round 8 five Port Adelaide players had been charged with an offence and six fined for being involved in a melee this season.

However only one player had been suspended which was Jackson Trengove for striking in Round 5.

Port Adelaide football manager Chris Davies offered a straightforward response yesterday when he said that any undisciplined act was not what the team stands for.

The Jonas incident also reignited discussion about the AFL introducing a sin bin whereby players put on report for certain incidents are sent off.

North Melbourne champion and 418-game veteran Brent Harvey suggested it on Channel 7’s Game Day program.

“With that, Gaff goes off and misses the rest of the game, should they (AFL) introduce some sort of send-off rule?” Harvey said.

“Gaff goes off, why are they (West Coast) disadvantaged to Port Adelaide?

Former Essendon player Andrew Welsh responded to Harvey’s suggestion by saying it should be considered.

“If something like that does happen, the opposition team shouldn’t be disadvantaged,” Welsh said.

“If it is someone sent off or a sub player that each club has sitting there for an act like that, that someone gets reported and the player can’t come back (into) the game, I think it’s something we have to look at.

After the game on Saturday night both coaches offered a measured response to the incident.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson said he was split between feeling like “that’s footy” and “it might have been a bit over the line”.

Simpson also said he hoped the AFL would not fine players involved in the melee because under those sort of circumstances they had little choice but to remonstrate.

Power boss Ken Hinkley said Jonas would not have intended to cause serious harm to Gaff but acknowledged that he had made a mistake and would cop whatever penalty is handed down.

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Originally published as Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas and star midfielder Robbie Gray to feel AFL match review panel heat