Former Tyrone minor star Conor McKenna has received a three-week ban after he plead guilty to a biting charge on Western Bulldogs forward Tory Dickson.
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McKenna was caught 'nipping' at the neck of Dickson during Essendon's 104-83 loss to the Bulldogs at Docklands Stadium on Sunday.
AFL match reviewer Michael Christian sent the case directly to an AFL tribunal hearing following the match where McKenna was charged with serious misconduct.
The 22-year-old entered a guilty plea at the start of Tuesday night's tribunal hearing at the Etihad Stadium where tribunal chairman David Jones and jury members Stewart Loewe, Michael Jamison and Wayne Henwood reviewed his case.
McKenna will now miss Essendon's upcoming games against Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Melbourne and the player issued a statement after the hearing declaring that he was sorry for his actions.
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"I take responsibility for my actions. I'm very sorry for what I've done and am looking forward to moving on and getting on with the season," McKenna said.
According to
AFL.com, McKenna's legal representative, Adrian Anderson, argued a two-match suspension was appropriate, relying on the precedent of West Coast Eagles' Chris Masten's two-week suspension for biting Fremantle's Nick Suban in 2015.
Anderson referred to the medical report in that case which stated that Masten had bitten Suban's left forearm, piercing the skin and forcing the player to take antibiotics for five days.
However, Jones noted that McKenna's bite had been to Dickson's neck, which had involved greater potential for serious injury and infection.
Former Sydney Swan and Kerry All-Ireland winner Tadhg Kennelly was a character reference in McKenna's hearing.
