KALANGADOO football player Leroy Larson faces a life-time ban from the game after a decision made by the Mid South East Football League tribunal on Wednesday night.
The 22-year-old was suspended for eight games after an incident with Robe player Craig Pitt.
The two players were charged with striking each other at the home ground of the Magpies on June 2.
Pitt received a one match penalty for his involvement with Larson.
Due to the quantum of his previous suspensions amounting to a total of 10 games, Larson now faces automatic de-registration by the SANFL as a player in line with Australian Football League rules which apply across the nation.
There is a 16 game suspension threshhold for a player’s senior career.
The AFL rules do contain an appeal mechanism.
The tribunal lasted 1.5 hours and was held in Millicent on Wednesday night.
It followed a complaint from the Robe Football Club about the Round 9 match in which Pitt’s jaw was broken.
MSEFL investigation officer Rob Dycer reported both players for striking after face-to-face interviews with players and receipt of signed written statements.
Dycer presented his findings on Wednesday night to MSEFL commissioners Rick Grimes, John Madden and Kevin Douglas.
Pitt was not present, but pleaded guilty through his advocate and club member Garry Thomas.
Larson attended the tribunal and also pleaded guilty.
His advocate was Kalangadoo Football Club president Adam Box.
Kalangadoo Football Club vice president and A Grade coach Chris Mules waited outside the tribunal meeting for the duration of its proceedings.
Mules has declined to provide a comment, while Box issued the following statement.
“As a club, we will be investigating a range of avenues and options to most appropriately support our player,” he said.
Roosters president John Fenton issued a statement following the decision.
“The Robe Football Club having requested the Mid South East Football League investigate the incident are satisfied that the process has been conducted in accordance with the rules of the league and the South Australian Community Football Board,” he said.
Both Pitt and Larson have had outstanding performances in 2018.
Recruited from Glenelg at the beginning of last season, Pitt has booted 83 goals in 21 matches with the Roosters and was chosen in the MSEFL interleague training squad.
Larson joined Kalangadoo from the Northern Territory at the beginning of the season.
He was named best player in the MSEFL pre-season carnival at Kongorong.
He has booted 26 goals and made four appearances in the best players lists in the home-and-away season and represented the MSEFL at the interleague carnival at Robe earlier this month.
Larson was reported by an umpire for striking in Saturday’s home ground match against Port MacDonnell.
A tribunal was not convened as Larson pleaded guilty and accepted a reprimand.
