Colac president Nick Lang said the club would today decide whether to appeal, after arguing at the tribunal that Kelly had not been informed of the report in the correct manner.

 

Kelly was booked by goal umpire Cody Espig during the first quarter, but was not informed of the report until the start of the third term.

 

Espig said he made the central field umpire aware of the report at quarter-time, but Kelly was not told because the goal umpires were dealing with an incorrect scoreboard at the first break, and then the umpires wanted to start the second quarter quickly because of a fight in the centre square.

 

Tribunal chairman Geoff Stribley said he believed the rule that required the ``best endeavours'' of the umpire to communicate the report had been followed.

 

``That's why we have procedures in place and in our opinion they weren't followed. In the opinion of the tribunal they were,'' Lang said after the hearing.

 

``It's now a case of what do we do next, or do we do anything?

 

``We'll meet about it tomorrow (Thursday) and we'll make a decision in the next 24 hours based on that, taking into consideration he was offered a week, he got a week  do we just say that's it and move on?''

 

Having been unsuccessful in trying to have the case thrown out, Kelly pleaded guilty under provocation, claiming he had been hit twice by Hussey as they ran towards the goalsquare, before retaliating.

 

Hussey said Kelly landed two punches, one on the mouth and one of the jaw, as a reaction to him pushing him.

 

Hussey, who left the ground bleeding, told the tribunal he tried to come back on but could not play out the game because he was ``dazed from the incident''.

 

Kelly said Hussey did return not long after the incident but received a corkie, which was the reason he sat out the rest of the game.

 

Stribley said the tribunal took Kelly's ``wonderful record'' into account, and said he had to be suspended for one game as the minimum penalty for such an offence.

 

He will have a two-match suspended sentence hanging over his head until the end of next season.

 

Moreland's case was over quicker than Kelly's, with video evidence showing he struck Linton with a raised elbow.

 

Moreland told the tribunal he thought the hit was negligent, not reckless or intentional.

 

``I just thought it was a perfect chance to bump him,'' Moreland told the tribunal.

 

``But I missed the bump and got him a bit high.

 

``It wasn't a direct attack, it was just a split-second reaction. It was silly.''

 

Stribley said Moreland could have done ``incredible damage'' and was ``really, really lucky'' Linton had not been injured in the incident.

 

He said the panel took in Moreland's guilty plea and his good record, but decided it was reckless ``with a little bit of intent'' and that Linton had no chance to protect himself.

 

Geelong West-St Peter's president Danny O'Leary said he was disappointed with the length of the suspension.

 

``Football's a quick game and these things just happen as a split-second,'' he said after the hearing.

 

``James Linton got up and played on and was one of their better players, so we believe it was a low impact and probably deserved to be a lower suspension that that.''

 

O'Leary was also critical of reporting of the incident before the tribunal, calling for clubs to be banned from making comments before a tribunal hearing.

 

Lang told Tuesday's Geelong Advertiser that he was concerned that this had been ``the third time in a row that Jimmy's been hit off the ball''.

 

``We're very disappointed as a club that comments were made from other people involved at other clubs,'' O'Leary said last night.

 

''We've already raised it with Football Geelong and Lee Hartman said he would look at dealing with that as well.

 

``I think that there needs to be a system put in place in terms of comments made before a tribunal, one of a high-profile tribunal event. 

 

``I believe that any paper or means of communication need to report just purely on the facts, let's wait until after the actual event and then you can provide your comment on it.''