HAWKINS TO MISS EAGLES CLASH

SPEARHEAD COPS ONE-MATCH BAN:

TOM Hawkins will miss one match for his elbow on Docker Luke Ryan as he continues to manage what a teammate has called “white line fever”.

The in-form Cats forward threw his right elbow back into the throat of Ryan in the final quarter of Geelong’s win over Fremantle on Monday night.

Match review officer Michael Christian classed the incident as intentional conduct with high contact and low impact, meaning the power forward (right) will miss his team’s blockbuster with West Coast on Saturday night.

Teammate Mitch Duncan conceded on Tuesday that Hawkins had “white line fever”.

“He’s probably the most gentle giant coming around,” Duncan said.

“Sometimes it is a bit of a shock. But yeah, he’s working on it, it’s just one of those things. He’s got white line fever. He’s a competitor, and sometimes he plays on the edge and it just happens.”

The ban marks Hawkins’ seventh game suspended from his past 88 games, including last year’s preliminary final against Richmond, which he missed due to a striking charge.

Jake Kolodjashnij was offered a $1000 penalty for a dangerous tackle on Docker Michael Walters, which was assessed as careless conduct, low impact and high contact.

Should either player elect to challenge, the club will have to notify the AFL before 11am on Wednesday and have a tribunal date set.

The tribunal is typically convened on Tuesday nights but given the frantic 20 days of football ahead, the league is open to holding hearings on whichever night they are required.