Richmond midfielder Matt Thomas has defended the character of Reece Conca, but admits it's disappointing to see another of his teammates reported.
Conca had his number taken on Saturday for striking Devon Smith in the Tigers' fifth consecutive AFL win, a 27-point triumph over GWS at the MCG.
It was Richmond's second match-day report for striking in the space of eight days.
As Smith trotted towards the interchange bench in the second quarter, Conca raced after the GWS midfielder and caught him completely unawares with an elbow to the back of the head.
Tigers forward Ty Vickery was last week given a four-game ban when he was referred directly to the tribunal for knocking out West Coast ruckman Dean Cox.
Conca is likely to join Vickery on the sidelines for the club's crucial Friday night clash with Essendon.
"I know Reece is such a great guy with a great character .. hopefully everything works out for him," Thomas said.
"(It is disappointing he was reported), especially with a big game coming up.
"Reece is a really important player for our team and we don't like to see anyone get reported.
"There's playing on the edge and Reece does that very well. It's probably a bit of a brain fade."
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said he didn't see the incident, but that he'd look at speaking to Conca about his aggression.
"We like our guys to play tough, we don't like them to go above and beyond that. We've got to wheel them back if they do," Hardwick said.
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