Hawks defender Jack Scrimshaw has lost his fight against a three-match penalty for striking Essendon’s Jordan Ridley.

Hawthorn had to prove Scrimshaw was trying to contest the ball when his swinging left arm caught Ridley high last Friday night.

Ridley initially continued playing but was later substituted out of the game with concussion.

The incident was graded careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

Scrimshaw was later concussed in a head clash with teammate Josh Battle and was due to miss at least one match regardless of the outcome of his tribunal hearing.

Scrimshaw, who did not speak and appeared at the tribunal with facial injuries, pleaded guilty to striking Ridley, to careless contact and high contact but Hawthorn unsuccessfully submitted it should be high impact, not severe, in a bid to reduce the ban to two games.

He will also be suspended for games against GWS and Port Adelaide.

“The fact that a concussion was suffered does not necessarily result in a grading of severe impact. We note that the Tribunal guidelines state that consideration will be given to the extent of force and in particular any injury sustained by the player offended against,” the tribunal decision read.

“There’s force to Scrimshaw’s arguments that he slowed immediately before impact, some of the impact was body on body, impact to the head appeared to be from the inside of the upper arm, Ridley played on for a period of time after the impact only to be later diagnosed with concussion and the worst injury that could potentially have happened did in fact happen.

“However, we find that the force of impact here was very considerable. Scrimshaw swung his arm with force. The way in which he manoeuvred his body certainly did not minimise the impact. Ridley had no reason to expect forceful head high contact, and could do little to avoid it. Ridley was clearly quite hurt by the impact.

“He stayed motionless on the ground for a considerable period of time. He did, in fact, suffer a concussion. Immediate and medium and longer term consequences of concussion are now well known. It can be, and often is, a very significant injury with ongoing adverse consequences.

“This was not a strike that was unlikely to result in a concussion. Due to the force of the impact, the fact that Ridley suffered a concussion is unsurprising. We are satisfied the impact of this strike was severe.”

The decision came after both Jackson Archer and Tom Lynch also lost their appeals.

Melbourne are yet to decide whether they will challenge Aidan Johnson’s one-match suspension for rough conduct on Giants forward Callum Brown.

Sydney accepted Justin McInerney’s three-match ban for the bump that concussed Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich.

With AAP