Harry Schoenberg: AFL football boss Greg Swann opens up on decision to suspend West Coast recruit for striking

The AFL’s football boss Greg Swann has opened up on the decision to suspend West Coast’s Harry Schoenberg for striking, saying the match review officer would be harsher in dealing with hits to the midriff this season. Schoenberg has been offered a one-game ban for a blow which felled Port Adelaide’s Logan Evans in the Eagles’ 73-point pre-season loss on Sunday. If the Eagles accept the MRO’s decision to grade the hit as intentional, to the body and medium impact, Schoenberg — who joined the club over the off-season after 62 AFL games over six years with Adelaide — will miss their trip to the Gold Coast to take on the Suns in round one. Swann said the league had sent out examples to clubs in the pre-season showing the markers of what would constitute a suspension. “Harry hit most of those — he hit them all, to be honest,” Swann told AFL 360. “He had a swinging arm, closed fist and off the ball, so he’s got a week. Responding to Garry Lyon’s declaration the suspension would “put the competition on notice”, Swann replied: “That’s what you hope for”. “It is interesting we’ve had one early in the season, but hopefully that’ll be the last one you see,” he said. “In this instance, it was pretty clear there was enough force. Evans went down and it was deemed to be a week. “We talk about junior level and things like that too, that they mimic their heroes in the AFL. There was talk around the juniors there was a lot of that happening, so hopefully that stops that too.” A ball-winning midfielder with the Crows, Schoenberg has made a positive early impression in his time with the Eagles, which has been spent mostly across the wing and half-forward line. Earlier this month, he said he was happy to line up wherever Eagles coach Andrew McQualter wanted him to. “I’d love to play every game. Firstly, I want to just play round one,” Schoenberg said. “Getting to play round one would be right up there (as a goal), and then just staying in the team.”