Essendon manager of football operations Dom Cato said he was ""bitterly disappointed"" Dustin Fletcher had to front the AFL tribunal on a tripping charge tonight. Fletcher was suspended for one match and will miss James Hird's 200th game against Richmond at the MCG on Saturday.""The tribunal can only adjudicate on the charge put before them and they have done that but we are amazed that he was up there in the first place,"" Cato said.

""I think all of us could find many other instances where players have been tripped by hand this season. A player hasn't been reported for this since 1994. If there is going to be a change in what is reportable, there should have been some sort of correspondence from the AFL to that effect,"" Cato said. ""The umpire himself said he didn't report on the basis he believed the contact only warranted a free kick.""

""These issues need to be clarified because to simply pluck an incident out frustrates clubs, players and supporters.""

Dustin Fletcher was found guilty of tripping Anthony Stevens in the third quarter of the Round 14 match against the Kangaroos. Fletcher pleaded not guilty to the charge, arguing contact had been minimal and accidental. The AFL tribunal said contact was intentional and reckless and suspended him for one week.