The tribunal, chaired by Ted Ivermee, handed Couch a four-week suspension on Tuesday night for a high hit on Camperdown’s Jack Williams in the dying seconds of the decider on September 22.

Couch had a one-week suspended sentence hanging over his head for an incident against Hamilton Kangaroos earlier in the season which was added to his penalty.

He pleaded not guilty to intentionally striking, saying it was a “protective action” as Williams came towards him in a marking contest but he conceded he did hit him high.

“My eyes were on the ball the whole time, you can see in the footage, even when I made contact,” Couch told the tribunal.

Three umpires – central pair Casey O’Keefe and Sam Burns and boundary Caleb Millard – reported Couch on the day.  He was offered a two-week ban but the Hampden league felt it was inadequate and referred the matter to the tribunal.

But Burns said the hit, which used a raised arm, was “severe”.

“Given I could hear it from 20-25 metres away in a grand final, I’d say it was severe,” he said.

Williams gave evidence via telephone. Medical evidence introduced – to the Saints’ surprise –  showed the Camperdown defender fractured his mandible.

Williams said he “still can’t chew solids properly” and cannot take part in contact sport for three months.

“I was cleared of concussion but I ended up having two cracks near my molar tooth in my jaw,” he said.

Couch said he’d felt the weight of his suspended ban all year and had walked away from niggle “knowing (players) were trying to get a reaction”.