Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield says dealing with the heightened scrutiny of his bump on Adelaide’s Jake Kelly has been an “eye-opener” and “confronting”.
Dangerfield received a three-week suspension at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night after Match Review Officer Michael Christian graded the incident as severe impact.
Kelly was stretchered off Adelaide Oval with concussion and a broken nose following the sickening head clash with Dangerfield.
“It’s hard to shut off from it. You feel like you’re on trial for murder,” Dangerfield told SEN’s Whateley.
“It’s an eye-opener for someone who hasn’t been through it before, I haven’t been through it before, so that was interesting.
“It was definitely confronting.”
Dangerfield initially didn’t think much of the incident after Saturday's upset loss to Adelaide, but his tune quickly changed as the hours passed.
“After the game, I didn’t think there was anything in it at all to be honest,” he said.
“And then I suppose the hours unfold, the day passes, it goes from ‘I didn’t think there was anything in it’, because it was in play to, ‘I’m in a bit of trouble here’.”
The Cats vice-captain explained why he didn’t testify at Tuesday night’s hearing.
“I think you’ve got to read the writing on the wall at some point and be realistic on the possibilities of where everything is at,” he said further.
“I’m a realist so I’d rather not waste time."
Dangerfield is now ineligible to win this year’s Brownlow Medal and will miss Geelong’s next three matches against Brisbane, Hawthorn and Melbourne.