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AAP
AAP
Sport
Roger Vaughan

Suns battle fine, Kangaroos fight ban at tribunal

Hamish Davis was forced out of Saturday's game after a tackle from Paul Curtis. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

North Melbourne forward Paul Curtis will return to the AFL tribunal, fighting another three-game ban for a dangerous tackle.

Gold Coast will try to avoid a hefty AFL fine when they go to the tribunal and contest Daniel Rioli's umpire contact charge.

Curtis was booked for rough conduct after his tackle last Saturday left West Coast player Hamish Davis with concussion.

The incident was deemed careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

Davis's arms were pinned in the tackle, leaving him vulnerable.

Paul Curtis.
Paul Curtis will fight his three-game ban arising from North's clash with West Coast. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

Curtis unsuccessfully went to the tribunal last year to contest a three-match suspension for a tackle on Port Adelaide's Josh Sinn.

The North forward will know his fate by the end of Tuesday night's hearing. But the Suns will contest Rioli's fine with a written submission, meaning that verdict will not be known until Wednesday.

If the Rioli fine is upheld, the Suns are at risk of an AFL sanction of up to $50,000, because it would be their fifth umpire contact penalty this season.

Daniel Rioli.
Gold Coast are challenging Daniel Rioli's fine for umpire contact. (Adam Trafford/AAP PHOTOS)

"We just felt Daniel didn't have another avenue. His player ran directly behind the umpire, he's in the defensive 50 - players do use the umpire somewhat as a shield," Suns coach Damien Hardwick told AFL360..

"We didn't know what other course of action Daniel could do. It is challenging."

Worried by a spike in umpire contact incidents, the AFL wrote to clubs after round 10.

Clubs were reminded that if they reached the five-offence threshold, they could be hit with a fine of up to $50,000.

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