UTILITY Neville Jetta has accepted a two-match penalty by the match review panel for rough conduct on Greater Western Sydney’s Lachie Whitfield.
Jetta’s penalty was impacted by his record.
He has played two matches this season for a total of 38 AFL matches.
Jetta and the club accepted the decision on Tuesday morning and opted not to contest the charge before the tribunal.
The match review panel said:
Neville Jetta, Melbourne, has been charged with a Level Two engaging in rough conduct offence (225 demerit points, two-match sanction) for engaging in rough conduct against Lachlan Whitfield, GWS Giants, during the third quarter of the Round Four match between Melbourne and the GWS Giants, played at the MCG on Sunday April 21, 2013.
In summary, due to his existing poor record, his two-match sanction must remain at two matches even with an early plea.
Based on the video evidence available and a medical report from the GWS Giants Football Club, the incident was assessed as reckless conduct (two points), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points). This is a total of five activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level Two offence, drawing 225 demerit points and a two-match sanction. He has 87.50 demerit points carried over from within the last 12 months, increasing the penalty to 312.50 points and a three-match sanction. An early plea reduces the sanction by 25 per cent to 234.38 points and a two-match sanction.
