Hawthorn’s Brian Lake will miss four matches after the AFL tribunal on Tuesday imposed a suspension on the star fullback for misconduct.

The 2013 Norm Smith Medallist was charged by the match-review panel after wrestling with North Melbourne forward Drew Petrie and grabbing his throat during the third quarter of last Friday night’s game at Etihad Stadium.

Lake has been handed a 410-point penalty.

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Petrie has avoided a suspension despite pleading guilty at Tuesday’s hearing to a misconduct charge for attacking Lake’s face. The North forward said he acted in self-defence and successfully argued an appropriate penalty was a reprimand with no carryover points.

Lake said in evidence that he had been simply trying to grab Petrie’s jumper around the collarbone area.

Brian Lake puts a hold on Drew Petrie’s throat. Photo: Getty

Player advocate Chris Townshend said Lake denied putting Petrie in a “choker-hold” and was instead guilty of a lesser offence of aggressive wrestling.

Legal counsel Andrew Woods said the video footage showed Lake attacking Petrie’s throat.

“It was an intentional application of force to the throat,” Woods said.

Lake was shown footage of incident and when asked if his hand was on Petrie’s throat, he said it was in the collarbone area.

“I have no recollection of him crying out. I could see he was in discomfort, yes,” Lake said.

“I had a very good grip of his jumper. I probably should have let go.”

“I don’t think it was significant force, no.

“I had a very good grip of his jumper.

“I probably should have let go,” Lake added.

The panel had booked Petrie for making unnecessary and unreasonable contact to Hawthorn defender Lake’s face.

Drew Petrie exits the AFL Tribunal. Photo: Getty

Petrie had been offered the chance to accept a penalty of 93.75 carryover points with an early guilty plea. But instead the player chose to plead guilty, asking that the jury find that he acted in self-defence with the carryover-points penalty to be thrown out.

Petrie had risked a one-game ban but he successfully argued he was in a potentially dangerous position with Lake lying on top of him and he simply pushed upwards to get his opponent off him.

“I think my hand was on his face for about two seconds. As soon as I realised I’d made contact with his face, I pulled my hand away,” Petrie said.

“If I let him lie on my face like that, it’s a position you don’t want to be in for too long.”

The jury deliberated for just three minutes before finding a reprimand with no carryover points was an appropriate penalty.

Essendon acting captain Brendon Goddard, Brisbane midfielder Tom Rockliff and West Coast key forward Josh Kennedy have accepted one-game suspensions.

North Melbourne youngster Luke McDonald, Greater Western Sydney ruckman Shane Mumford and Gold Coast defender Rory Thompson took reprimands, while Brisbane’s Claye Beams received a fine.

– AAP