AFL player Tristan Xerri banned for wiping blood on opponent’s face during a game
Consensus Summary
AFL player Tristan Xerri was banned for three games after wiping blood from his nose onto Essendon captain Andrew McGrath’s face during a match on 26 March 2023. The incident occurred after Xerri complained about a blood nose and clashed with McGrath, with Xerri admitting he acted impulsively amid sledging from Essendon players. Both sources confirm Xerri pleaded guilty to serious misconduct and received a lighter penalty due to his remorse and early confession, though the AFL initially sought a longer suspension. The tribunal chairman called the behavior ‘disgraceful’ and noted Xerri’s hand was near McGrath’s open mouth, while Xerri claimed he was defending himself against false accusations of flopping. Xerri’s suspension means he will miss North Melbourne’s next three games, and he has since apologized to McGrath, who responded positively. The case highlights concerns over player conduct and the AFL’s handling of serious misconduct, with comparisons drawn to past incidents involving blood on opponents’ uniforms.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Tristan Xerri was banned for three AFL games for wiping blood from his nose onto Essendon captain Andrew McGrath’s face during a match on 26 March 2023
- Xerri pleaded guilty to serious misconduct at the AFL tribunal on 27 March 2023
- The AFL tribunal chairman Jeff Gleeson KC described the incident as ‘disgraceful behaviour’ and noted Xerri’s hand was close to McGrath’s open mouth
- Xerri admitted in evidence that blood was on his hand before wiping it on McGrath’s face, despite it not being clear in video footage
- Xerri apologised to McGrath the day after the incident, and McGrath responded positively, calling the conversation ‘good’
- Xerri’s suspension means he will miss North Melbourne’s games against Carlton (Good Friday), Brisbane, and Richmond
- Xerri claimed he was sledged with racial and flopping slurs (‘weak c-word’, ‘effing flopping c-word’) before the incident
- The tribunal considered a longer suspension but reduced it to three games due to Xerri’s early plea and remorseful evidence
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The AFL initially wanted a three-game ban while North Melbourne argued for two games, with the tribunal ultimately siding with the AFL’s request
- Gleeson noted that previous cases (Nathan Buckley and Jeremy Howe) involved wiping blood on opponents’ uniforms, which were ‘quite significantly less serious’ than Xerri’s incident
- The incident occurred after Xerri complained to an umpire about a blood nose before kicking a goal and clashing physically with McGrath
- The tribunal hearing was held a day earlier than normal due to the incident’s urgency
- Xerri revealed he consulted a doctor about the risk of spreading an infectious disease after the incident
- Xerri claimed he extracted blood from his nose to ‘show them’ he was bleeding, as he felt he was being falsely accused of flopping
- Xerri’s suspension was described as ‘three matches’ without specifying the exact number of weeks, though the Guardian clarifies it as three games
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the tribunal considered a sanction of ‘more than three weeks’ as appropriate, while ABC only mentions ‘three matches’ without specifying duration
- The Guardian highlights Xerri’s ‘brain fade’ as a key explanation, but ABC emphasizes his claim of defending himself against false flopping accusations as a primary motive
- The Guardian notes Xerri’s hand was ‘close to McGrath’s open mouth’ during the incident, while ABC does not mention the mouth detail
- The Guardian compares Xerri’s case to previous incidents involving blood on uniforms, but ABC does not reference these comparisons
- ABC includes Xerri’s explicit claim about consulting a doctor post-incident, which is not mentioned in the Guardian
Source Articles
AFL player Tristan Xerri banned for three games for ‘disgraceful’ blood smear
Kangaroos star sanctioned for wiping blood on opponent’s face Xerri admits incident during Essendon game was a ‘brain fade’ North Melbourne star Tristan Xerri would have risked a heftier AFL ban had h...
Banned Xerri reveals Essendon abuse leading to blood-wiping incident
Kangaroos ruckman Tristan Xerri gives evidence at the AFL tribunal as he accepts a suspension for rubbing blood from his nose on the face of Essendon captain Andrew McGrath....