Carlton footy operations manager Andrew McKay says club can handle Heath Scotland sanctions

CARLTON football operations boss Andrew McKay says there is no need for the AFL to come in "over the top'' and ban Heath Scotland.

CARLTON football operations manager Andrew McKay says there is no need for the AFL to come in "over the top'' and enforce a suspension on Heath Scotland after he pleaded guilty in court this week to assaulting a man in a Mulwala bar earlier this year.

He said Scotland would receive a club-imposed suspension, but it had not been decided whether it would be pre-season or home and away games.

Players suspended late in the season or during the finals are free to play in the pre-season competition, but must serve their suspension in the home and away season.

Scotland, who won this season's best and fairest club award, king-hit a man in the New South Wales town in January.

He pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and received a two-year good behaviour bond.

The AFL and Carlton are on a collision course over the appropriate penalty for Scotland, with the league favouring home and away games, but the Blues wanting to suspend him for NAB pre-season games. He will also be fined $5000.

McKay said that Carlton would determine the appropriate suspension, but there was no hurry to announce it.

"They won't need to come over the top, we can handle it ourselves,'' McKay told SEN 1116 today.

"It's a process of us keeping touch with them and letting them know what we think the appropriate sanction is and making sure they are aware of it and the Player's Association are aware of it and going from there.''

Asked whether Scotland would be suspended for home and away games, McKay said: "I wouldn't like to speculate at the moment.

"We need to sit down as a group and obviously there is no real hurry. The media seem to be pressing the issue a little bit, but there is no real hurry to sanction now. It's certainly going to be games, but what type of games is yet to be decided.''

Mark Robinson: Scotland should miss a month

McKay said a sanction would be handed down "in a month or so.''

Carlton and the AFL were in disagreement on a suspension and fine for Brock McLean in June for the mid-fielder's AIDS-referencing Twitter attack.

McLean responded to a baiting tweet from an online follower: "No, your mum has given me aids''.

He received a suspended one-game ban and a $5000 fine for an AIDS-referencing Twitter attack. The Blues did not believe McLean deserved such a hefty fine and were against any type of penalty.

The controversy started when McLean posted a Twitter update: "Today can f--- right off.''

When a fellow Twitter user, who identified as an Essendon fan, responded, "Did you finally get delisted'', McLean made the reference to the person's mother.

He quickly removed the offensive remark.