Collingwood to challenge Frampton three-match ban

Collingwood will challenge the three-match suspension handed to defender Billy Frampton for a tackle that left Melbourne forward Brody Mihocek with a fractured neck. The AFL tribunal will hear the case on Wednesday night, June 10. If unsuccessful, Frampton will miss matches against Port Adelaide, Richmond, and Gold Coast.

The incident occurred during the second quarter of the King's Birthday match at the MCG on Monday, June 8. Mihocek, a former Collingwood premiership player who joined Melbourne this season, gathered the ball and turned into Frampton, his former teammate. In the tackle, Mihocek was driven into the ground, landing awkwardly on the top of his head. Play was stopped for approximately eight to ten minutes as medical staff stabilized his neck before he was stretchered from the field and transported by ambulance to The Alfred hospital.

Match review officer Michael Christian classified Frampton's actions as careless conduct with severe impact and high contact. Mihocek, 33, was knocked unconscious and temporarily lost feeling in some of his limbs. He underwent surgery on Monday night. Melbourne officials confirmed on Tuesday that the surgery went as planned and that...