Hawthorn forward Mabior Chol is fighting a three-game dangerous tackle ban for the incident which cost Geelong superstar Tom Stewart a spot in the 2025 Grand Final. Live below!
Chol was offered a three-game suspension after his tackle that concussed Stewart was charged as rough conduct with gradings of careless conduct, high contact and severe impact.
The Hawks are attempting to have the charge thrown out completely.
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Follow David Zita’s coverage of the Mabior Chol Tribunal appeal live below!
Chol and the Hawks were represented by Myles Tehan while the AFL was represented by Albert Dinelli.
The Cats’ medical report stated Stewart will miss seven days of training as well as the Grand Final.
The Hawks chose not to have Chol speak, pointing to the Tribunal’s request earlier in the year that moment-by-moment explanations by the player are not particularly helpful, but were keen to reference Paul Curtis’ controversial three-week ban earlier in the year.
The AFL said Stewart was driven into the ground with excessive force with his arms pinned to him in a way that meant he couldn’t break his fall.
They argued it was open to Chol to release one or both of Stewart’s arms, or to roll Stewart rather than fall right on top of him.
The Hawks said Chol “feels sorry for what happened to Mr Stewart as a result of this footballing accident, given the significance of the game this weekend”, but argued he tackled reasonably in the circumstances.
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It’s another case of the AFL Match Review system’s ‘three or nothing’ rule, with the tackle given the highest impact grading due to Stewart’s concussion – meaning Chol either had to be cleared completely, or banned for three weeks.
Stewart, a five-time All-Australian, had his arms pinned while his head made heavy contact with the MCG turf during last Friday night’s preliminary final win.
Due to the AFL’s 12-day concussion protocols he cannot be passed fit for the Grand Final against Brisbane.
“I am very pro a week off before the grand final, if we can sneak that in this year (for the future),” Cats coach Chris Scott said post-game.
“But it’s black and white. He (Stewart) knows, we know. It’s a shattering situation for him.”
But triple premiership Brisbane legend Jonathan Brown declared Chol “absolutely should not get suspended” for the act.
“What could he have done? You would have to be the strongest human to be able to turn and stop the momentum from going forward,” Brown told Fox Footy.
Chol would miss the opening three games of the 2026 season if his ban is upheld.
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