The Adelaide Crows will contest a three-match suspension for rough conduct handed to forward Shane McAdam on Tuesday.
McAdam was rubbed out for rounds two-through-four of the season after his bump on GWS's Jacob Wehr at the weekend was referred straight to the league's tribunal.
While the Crows argued the majority of contact was made to Wehr's chest and shoulder and queried the hit's 'severe' impact grading, the panel ultimately landed on the three-week suspension for the bump categorised as intentional, careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.
Shane McAdam has been sent straight to the tribunal for his bump on Jacob Wehr.
Full details on the Match Review Officer's findings: https://t.co/lV0jIIYbDg pic.twitter.com/UALj94aGB7
— AFL (@AFL) March 20, 2023
Adelaide unsuccessfully cited a similar collision from 2021 and used footage of Melbourne youngster Kysaiah Pickett's hit on Bulldog Bailey Smith in the opening round, which didn't go to the tribunal, as evidence for parity.
Crows dual-premiership captain Mark Bickley has taken issue with "inconsistency" between McAdam and Pickett's sanctions and said "common sense has to prevail".
Speaking on SEN radio Wednesday, Bickley outlined the grading of each incident determined by match review officals.
Pickett's bump on Bulldog Bailey Smith, who rose from the turf immediately after the collision, was upgraded from 'low' to 'high' impact on review, while McAdam's bump on Wehr saw the Giant taken from the ground and assessed for concussion which resulted in a higher grading and referral straight to the tribunal.
Kysaiah Pickett was placed on report midway through the second quarter for this incident.#AFLDeesDogs pic.twitter.com/wzzMINxvHw
— AFL (@AFL) March 18, 2023
While Bickley said while he doesn't want to see "blokes being missiles", he labelled the disparity in result "mind boggling".
"That is the thing that makes everyone put their hands in the air. How can we have inconsistency between things that happened so close together?" he said.
"It's mind boggling. I haven't heard anyone that says "that's a great decision" in terms of giving Pickett two (weeks) and McAdam three."
On Wednesday Adelaide confirmed they will lodge an appeal to McAdam's suspension.
Evidence is expected to be heard on Thursday.
