Ben Cunnington has accepted a one-match ban for striking the Bulldogs’ Toby McLean.

The North midfielder will now miss Saturday afternoon’s clash against the Gold Coast Suns.

The Match Review Panel’s findings on Monday were as follows:
Ben Cunnington, North Melbourne, has been charged with striking Toby McLean, Western Bulldogs, during the fourth quarter of the Round 14 match between North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs, played at Etihad Stadium on Saturday June 24, 2017.

In summary, he can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.

Based on the available video evidence and a medical report from the Western Bulldogs Football Club, the incident was assessed as intentional conduct with low impact to the head/neck/throat area. The incident was classified as a two-match sanction. The player has no applicable record which impacts the penalty. An early plea enables the player to accept a one-match sanction.