Port Adelaide say they didn't deliberately flout AFL protocols when rushing Hamish Hartlett back to the field after he copped a nasty head knock.
The Power admit they made protocol errors which resulted in a $20,000 fine from the AFL, with $10,000 of the sanction suspended until the end of the 2018 season.
Hartlett passed a concussion test after leaving the ground against Hawthorn in last Thursday night's match but Port failed to notify an AFL official the assessment was taking place, as required by AFL laws.
Hartlett returned to action about five minutes after coming off the ground, when he should have been kept from playing for the regulated 15-minute exclusion period.
Port coach Ken Hinkley says Hartlett wasn't at risk by returning to the field.
"There was absolutely no risk taken ... Hamish was fine. And I want to make that clear, that he didn't have concussion," Hinkley told reporters on Friday.
"There's rules in the place and there's ways you have to go about things in all parts of the game, not just in this one. And we didn't quite get it right.
"It wasn't deliberate but we didn't get it right."
Hinkley said Port's chief medical officer was busy treating another injured player - Brad Ebert, who suffered bruised lungs - when Hartlett was hurt.
"There was a bit going on at that very time ... and we probably were a little bit rushed in that area, but everything was done for player welfare and safety," he said.
"... The doctor that saw him (Hartlett) on the ground said he was fine but to be doubly sure...we made sure we checked him thoroughly, so we did a test.
"The problem is we didn't notify the AFL of that test."
Hartlett will play against North Melbourne on Saturday.
