Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney can count himself lucky to have not received a longer ban for serious misconduct, according to Richmond star Jack Riewoldt.
Viney was handed a two-match suspension at the AFL Tribunal for leaning his elbow into the neck and throat region of Gold Coast defender Sam Collins.
The incident involving Viney and Collins occured late in the final quarter of Sunday’s match at Marvel Stadium.
Riewoldt was asked about the Viney verdict on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Tuesday night.
“(He’s) lucky. I reckon you’re walking a fine line there with that one,” Riewoldt said.
“There’s a few things that have happened this year, little elbows and whatnot, that probably have been deserving of a one-week penalty and haven’t received that.
“I think Jack Viney will probably think himself very lucky that wasn’t a bit more of a higher sanction.
“I don’t think people would bat their eyelids if they had said sort of three or four.
“Two weeks is still a pretty big price to pay at this point in the year and clearly he’s a very good player for them as well, so I think he’s sitting back now wishing he hadn’t done it.”
Geelong star and AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield thinks Viney’s two-game ban is “probably about right”.
“I’m sure Jack would admit this - it’s not something we want to see in our game. It’s certainly something that we want to stamp out,” Dangerfield told SEN’s Whateley.
“It’s an ugly look, there’s no doubt about it.
“Jack plays on the edge, he’s an aggressive player, but I also believe him to be a fair player as well. I don’t think we should hang him out to dry.
“He’s copped his whack, he’ll no doubt be disappointed and we all move on and learn from it as a code and individually, and we get better from it.”
Viney will miss Melbourne’s next two games against West Coast and Adelaide but will return for the Round 23 clash against Geelong.