The AFL have handed Adelaide Crows star Riley Thilthorpe a one-match suspension in a decision that has riled up fans.
Thiltorpe committed a sneaky gut punch on Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek, knocking his opponent to the ground.
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The incident was caught by the cameras and despite fans’ protestations, the AFL were always going to hit Thilthorpe with a ban.
At the beginning of the year the AFL sought to crack down on gut punches, ruling them to be “unnecessary, easily avoidable and having the potential to tarnish the reputation of Australian football”.
That meant the punishment was upgraded from a fine to a one-match ban in a bid to stamp them out.
Some fans are not happy with the change however, and slammed the decision to ban Thilthorpe.
“And this is why the AFL is in terminal decline,” said one fan.
Another added: “My grandma could take that punch.”
A third wrote: “I’ll stop watching football if he’s suspended for that you got to be joking.”
Another commented: “Nah that’s an absolute joke if they’ve given him a week for that.”
A fifth remarked: “This league is an absolute joke.”
Adelaide could appeal the decision, while another gun Josh Rachele escaped with a fine for staging against Hawthorn.
The Crows have a bye next week and Taylor Walker could come into the side to replace Thilthorpe against Geelong on June 4.
Originally published as AFL hit Adelaide Crows star Riley Thilthorpe with one-match ban for gut punch on Hawthorn’s Lloyd Meek