Gold Coast Suns star Ben Long was punished for a violent assault on opponent Clayton Oliver against the GWS Giants on Sunday.
The two tussled towards the end of the game after Oliver took exception to Long’s tackle.
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They pushed and shoved before Long dragged his rival to the ground.
He then stood over him before bizarrely reaching down and shaking Oliver’s head.
That provoked a furious reaction from the Giants star who sprang to his feet in an attempt to get payback.
But Long reacted quickly and landed a huge slap on Oliver’s face, knocking him to the ground once more.
He then grabbed Oliver by the guernsey and had an apologetic look on his face, with his arms outstretched protesting his innocence.
Teammate Harry Himmelberg rushed over to help the stricken Oliver as the game continued.
But the umpire did not let the incident slip and duly punished Long by awarding Oliver a free kick and a 50m penalty.
Long could face a more severe sanction by the league over his act of violence, with Richmond forward Tom Lynch receiving a five-match ban for punching Adelaide Crows star Jordon Butts last year.
Brisbane pair Harris Andrews and Darcy Gardiner were also hit with suspensions for striking this year.
Fans were stunned by the incident with some expecting a ban to be imposed.
“How many weeks we saying?” wrote one.
Another added: “Actual disgusting behaviour. That level of disrespect to another player shouldn’t be tolerated.”
A third said: “Enjoy your break Longy.”
And another commented: “Guy needs to sit for a few weeks.
“Just stupid and not helpful to his team or the game of Footy.”
