Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas says he is not a dirty player but needs to find the balance between pleasure and pain

AN “extremely remorseful and disappointed’’ Tom Jonas says he is not a dirty player but that he needs to find the balance between tough and fair on the football field.

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AN “extremely remorseful and disappointed’’ Tom Jonas says he is not a dirty player but that he needs to find the balance between tough and fair on the football field.

The Port Adelaide defender says he hopes he will not be remembered for the crude hit that knocked out West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff at Adelaide Oval on Saturday and that he will cop whatever punishment that comes his way at the AFL Tribunal Tuesday night.

“I don’t think I’m a dirty player,’’ Jonas said in making a public apology to Gaff and his Power teammates Monday.

“But obviously I’ve opened that up for speculation. I try to play tough but fair.

“As a player I play on the edge and that’s where my value to the team comes. I’m generally a tough and physical competitor and it’s a game that’s played at a very high pace.

“I’m not making any excuses for what happened but you do need to make decisions and in this instance I made the wrong one. I hurt one of my fellow players and hopefully I’m not remembered for that.

“Obviously I will receive a sanction and I’ll cop whatever comes my way and learn from it. I’ve done the crime so I’ve got to do the time.”

Jonas, 25, is facing a lengthy ban, likely between three and six matches, for his forearm to the back of Gaff’s head in a marking contest during the third quarter.

The incident, which was classified by the match review panel as intentional, severe impact and high contact, resulted in Gaff being knocked unconscious and taken from the field on a motorised stretcher in a neck brace.

Jonas has only been suspended once in his 82-game career — for three matches for rough conduct in 2013 — but he has been walking the suspension tightrope all season, having been involved in incidents that floored Crow Rory Laird in Showdown 40 in round two and Cat Patrick Dangerfield in round five.

Jonas — a likeable and highly-respected player off the field — says that after learning of his ban his next challenge is to curb the fine on-field line he walks between pleasure and pain.

“It’s tough,’’ he said of his aggressive approach to the game.

Brad Ebert and Tom Jonas walk off after the loss. Photo: Sarah Reed.

“My value to the team is that I play on the edge, I don’t kick flashy goals, take hangers and sell candy.

“I’m a dour defender, so it’s just something I’ve got to learn from and hopefully something like this doesn’t happen again.

“I will keep working with Kenny (coach Ken Hinkley) and the coaches but with split-second decisions sometimes things go wrong.’’

Jonas apologised to Gaff via text message immediately after Saturday’s game and said his apology had been accepted.

He said he had also let his club and teammates down.

“You never like to injure or see another player injured in our game, that’s not in the spirit of the game,” Jonas said.

“I’m also really disappointed with the way I’ve let the club and my teammates down. They have a lot of trust in me and if I’m not out there for the next few weeks that will obviously not help them so I’ll be doing my best to earn respect back from them.”

Originally published as Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas says he is not a dirty player but needs to find the balance between pleasure and pain