THE Sydney Swans face the difficult task of trying to gain the minimum possible penalty for Barry Hall at the AFL tribunal tonight despite their star forward having already declared he would "take my medicine" and accept whatever punishment the judiciary deemed appropriate for the vicious punch that knocked out West Coast defender Brent Staker.

At the same time, the club is facing an awkward battle to defend one of its best and most recognisable players against withering personal attacks in the media, including the emotional assertions of Staker's father, Alan, who yesterday described Hall as a "weak mongrel" and mother, Rosemary, who said he should be banned for the rest of the season.

While the Swans hierarchy has been privately disturbed by the strength of the criticism of a player who has worked hard to restore his reputation since arriving in Sydney five years ago, they have been careful not to say anything that may be seen as deflecting the blame from Hall for what they believe was an inexplicably violent over-reaction to some early niggling by Staker.

Rather than circling the wagons yesterday, defender Leo Barry said his former co-captain would have to "earn back the respect of the players" after a moment of madness that could jeopardise the club's prospects after a bright start to the season.

"Everyone's disappointed in what happened with Hally's actions," Barry said. "I think everyone has felt as though he's let everyone down a bit."

Hall is not expected to travel to Melbourne for the tribunal hearing, having undergone surgery yesterday on the wrist he broke after running into a poorly guarded steel fence late in Saturday night's game. He is instead likely to give his evidence by video link from Sydney, with the Swans' counsel representing him at the hearing.

Swans officials yesterday said they were uncertain about how long the wrist injury would sideline Hall, saying the surgery had not been performed until late in the day.

However, while the recovery time should have no impact on the length of the suspension handed out by the tribunal, the Swans will be eager to avoid the perception that Hall would virtually escape penalty if it takes him longer to recover from the wrist injury than to serve his ban.

As anticipated, the AFL's match-review committee yesterday sent the Hall case straight to the tribunal after ruling that the left hook that floored Staker was intentional, severe contact and high contact, with the total of nine activation points, meaning there could be no offer of an early plea.

The Swans are certain to enter a guilty plea. They will then have to walk a fine line in arguing against the match-review committee determinations or providing extenuating circumstances without risking diminishing the sincerity of Hall's apology on Sunday, during which he said: "It is pretty hard to defend my actions - it's there in black and white and there's no more I can say about it."

It is likely Hall will tell the tribunal that he had not intended to hit Staker in the head, with the fact that he was facing at right angles to the Eagles' defender rather than face-on also likely to be raised. But more problematical will be the issue of provocation, which is never accepted as a legitimate defence anyway.

Having been unable to return to the field on Saturday night because of concussion, the seriousness of Staker's injuries - another factor for the tribunal's consideration - remained unclear, with Eagles assistant coach Peter Sumich saying it was uncertain whether he would play against Port Adelaide on Sunday. Of some relief to Hall will be the fact that the Eagles defender scoffed at suggestions by his family that he should take legal action against Hall.

Meanwhile, even as they mounted a stout defence of Hall, many at the Swans remained mystified as to why a player who is a proud and integral member of the team's leadership group had acted so rashly with apparently little provocation. Especially after he had worked hard to improve his on-field behaviour and even change his life. Since acknowledging his anger management problems several years ago, Hall has been guided by figures such as the club's player welfare officer, Phil Mullen, and club psychologist Grant Brecht to help curtail outbursts that led to his 11 previous tribunal appearances.

Initially reluctant to seek outside help, Hall had become so determined to stay on the straight and narrow he embraced the club's leadership program and frequently sought Brecht's help beyond the usual sessions scheduled for every player as a means of self-improvement.

Because of that, it is unlikely Hall will be required to undertake any extra counselling. "He has already done everything possible to get himself on track," said one club source. "Hopefully, in time, he can prove this was a one-off thing."