Overview
- The tackle occurred late in West Coast’s season-ending match when Reid wrapped and slung Hawthorn co-captain Jai Newcombe to the ground, an action Reid later pleaded guilty to at the tribunal.
- Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson found the contact to be high impact, saying Newcombe's head 'bounced sharply' and that the force made a high grading appropriate despite no diagnosed concussion.
- West Coast asked the tribunal to downgrade the grading from high to medium to halve the suspension but the panel rejected comparisons to earlier downgraded cases, saying those were not sling tackles and lacked comparable force.
- Because the high-impact grading was upheld, Reid will miss two matches which the AFL confirmed will be served at the start of next season rather than this year.
- Newcombe passed his injury assessments, is expected to play Hawthorn's upcoming qualifying final, and the ruling signals that sling tackles causing head contact will face strict scrutiny in future tribunal hearings.