AFL Tribunal Hands Down Fines and Suspensions in Busy Night of Hearings

Adam Cerra, a midfielder for Carlton, was fined $5,550 by the AFL Tribunal. This marks the first instance of a player facing the tribunal under the league's new, stricter rules regarding contact with umpires. The incident that led to the fine involved a collision with umpire Rob O'Gorman during a recent match against Brisbane.

The new regulations, implemented at the beginning of the month, resulted in Cerra being directly referred to the tribunal. This was due to it being the fourth time he had been cited for this type of offense within the past two years. The AFL is taking a strong stance on these collisions, which often occur during centre bounces.

Cerra, who pleaded guilty, watched the hearing remotely but did not provide any evidence. Carlton argued for a $5,000 fine, citing that Cerra might have contested previous charges had the direct referral rule been in place earlier. The AFL, however, sought a $6,250 fine. After a 30-minute deliberation, the tribunal settled on the $5,550 penalty.

In other tribunal matters, Brisbane Lions player Zac Bailey was unsuccessful in overturning a one-match ban for rough conduct. He challenged the suspension resulting from a high bump on Carlton's Nick Haynes. The Lions attempted to have the charge downgraded, but the tribunal upheld the original medium impact grading.

Finally, North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri failed to overturn his three-match suspension. The suspension stemmed from an incident that resulted in Melbourne's Tom Sparrow being concussed. Despite Xerri's testimony, including his efforts to contact Sparrow, the tribunal upheld the original careless conduct charge, meaning he will miss upcoming matches.