Hamilton Kangaroos footballers receive suspensions for on-field football incidents

First-year skipper Brady Hicks was found guilty of intentionally striking South Warrnambool opponent Jonah Maher and copped a three-week penalty, one of which was suspended for 12 months.

He will miss games against Cobden and Camperdown.

Hicks, who pleaded not guilty, contested a set penalty after field umpire Jamie Lake reported him during the round 15 clash at Melville Oval.

Rory Gill, who faced a match review panel, was found guilty of unduly rough contact for a dangerous tackle on South Warrnambool's Trent Williamson.

Gill, who pleaded not guilty, was banned for four matches.

Hicks - a long-time vice-captain who took on the top role this year - conceded he struck Maher high when he went to tackle with one arm.

He said the tackle started at shoulder height and slipped high.

When asked why he tackled with one arm, Hicks said he had a dislocated a finger in his left hand which made it challenging to use.

Maher, who played out the game after the second-quarter incident, has a medical certificate for concussion, which was diagnosed post-game, and will miss the Roosters' clash against North Warrnambool Eagles.

Maher said he "was in possession of the ball, gave it off and felt contact to the back of my head" and described the contact as "forceful".

He said trainers checked on him during the game and a doctor assessed him post-match.

"I had a headache and sore neck. I was going downhill," Maher said.

Hicks, who had a clean record in more than 150 Hampden league senior games, said as captain of the club he tried to set a good example.

"Unfortunately the inside of my arm slipped high and made high contact," Hicks said.

Hamilton Kangaroos player advocate Keven Quinn said Hicks' "attempt to tackle was legitimate" and cited his clean record.

"He hasn't got an aggressive bone in his body," he said.

The independent tribunal, when handing down its sentence, said it believed it was an intentional incident and "could have been avoided".

Gill, who followed Hicks' appearance, said he believed Williamson had an arm free in the tackle.

"I didn't try and hurt him," he said.

Williamson, who played for a further 20 minutes with concussion symptoms including blurred vision before taking himself off the ground, said both of his arms were caught in the tackle.

He will miss this weekend's game with concussion protocols.

Quinn said Gill "tackled hard but fair."

"He's a quiet lad and has played 79 games with a clean record. He averages 8.7 tackles a game and has never had any issues."

Quinn asked for "some leniency", saying it was a "split second" action.

The tribunal labelled the tackle "forceful and unnecessary" and believed both Williamson's arms were pinned.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: