Richmond's Bachar Houli looks set to argue he didn't intend to hit Carlton's Jed Lamb in the head when he pleads his case before the AFL tribunal.
Houli was referred directly to the tribunal over his off-the-ball hit on Lamb after the match review panel assessed the incident as intentional conduct with high impact to the head.
The veteran Tiger knocked Lamb unconscious with a swinging round-arm blow in the first quarter of Sunday's clash at the MCG and is unable to enter an early guilty plea.
Houli said he contacted Lamb in the aftermath of Richmond's hard-fought win to offer an apology for his actions, but also appeared to give an insight into the strategy for his defence.
"Obviously that was something that was out of my nature ... it was purely unintentional," Houli told Fox Sports News.
"The first thing I did was send him a text - 'How are you feeling? What happened was purely unintentional. I hope you're OK and let me know if I can help in any way'.
"I really mean that."
The tribunal will sit for the first time this year at AFL headquarters on Tuesday evening.
Gold Coast's Steven May, for his bump on Brisbane's Stef Martin, and Port Adelaide's Tom Jonas, for his hit on West Coast's Andrew Gaff, were referred directly to the tribunal last year.
May copped a five-match ban and Jonas was rubbed out for six games.
Houli has not been suspended over the course of his 162-game AFL career.
Eagles defender Will Schofield and North Melbourne's Ben Cunnington are the other two players who must decide if they will contest a suspension at the tribunal.
In a surprise move, Schofield was offered a two-match ban for striking Melbourne's Clayton Oliver - who was roundly criticised for making too much of the contact.
Oliver denied he was a "faker" in post-match comments, with the MRP's findings - based on video evidence and a medical report from the Demons - vindicating the youngster.
The MRP deemed the contact intentional conduct with low impact to the head, which draws a two-match suspension that comes down to one with an early plea.
Cunnington was offered a two-game ban for striking the Western Bulldogs' Toby McLean.
Cunnington has already fallen foul of the MRP this season, accepting a one-game ban for rough conduct on Hawthorn's Taylor Duryea.
He can accept a one-match ban with an early plea.
Sydney pair Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, Essendon's Joe Daniher, Brisbane's Nick Robertson, the Bulldogs' Easton Wood and Fremantle duo Hayden Ballantyne and Michael Walters can all accept fines for their respective infractions.
West Coast skipper Shannon Hurn was left dazed after a fierce Jack Viney bump late in Melbourne's dramatic win at Domain Stadium but the MRP deemed the Demons onballer was contesting for the ball.
Share
