WEST Coast footballer Adam Selwood faces an extraordinary tribunal hearing on Wednesday night after being accused of making sexually explicit taunts about the six-year-old daughter of Fremantle player Des Headland.

Selwood was last night charged with using insulting language following an AFL investigation into a series of spiteful exchanges between the pair during Saturday night's match.

Headland has been offered a five-match suspension and a $1200 fine for his violent confrontations with Selwood, but Fremantle was last night discussing with lawyers the possibility of a defence based around extreme provocation.

Selwood faces a possible fine or even suspension if he is found guilty, not to mention the damage to his reputation. It is believed that even his own version of what he said to provoke Headland concedes he made an unpleasant reference to a tattoo on Headland's arm. The tattoo is of Headland's daughter Madisan.

Fremantle yesterday lodged a complaint with the league on behalf of Headland, who was adamant that he wanted Selwood to be publicly accountable for his slight. AFL investigator Bill Kneebone interviewed Headland, Selwood and umpire Stuart Wenn before charging Selwood and referring the matter to the AFL Tribunal.

The incident has again put top-of-the-ladder West Coast at the centre of controversy.

The club has been slammed for failing to deal with the use of illicit drugs (former skipper Ben Cousins is in rehab in the United States) and its best player on Saturday, Michael Braun, was yesterday fined $5000 by the AFL for swearing on national television during his acceptance speech.

Fremantle's decision to pursue Selwood drew a like-for-like response from bitter rival West Coast, which complained about a clash between Docker midfielder John Carr and Daniel Chick. As a result, Carr was last night offered a two-match ban for striking Chick.

Selwood is believed to have denied to Kneebone yesterday that he made any mention of Headland's daughter and will argue that the Docker misinterpreted what was said. Headland is believed to have made the claim that he offered Selwood the chance to clear up any misunderstanding.

It is alleged by Headland that during the third quarter Selwood, pointing to the tattoo of Madisan on Headland's left bicep, said "I f---ed her last night" to which Headland is understood to have replied, "What do you mean, she's my daughter?"

The West Coast player is then alleged by Headland to have added: "Yeah, she's a sl--. I f---ed her."

After the match, a furious Headland attempted to confront Selwood again, before telling Foxtel boundary commentator and former Eagle Drew Banfield: "You tell Selwood, if he calls my daughter a sl-- again, I'll kill him."

It is believed Selwood's version of the incident, which set Headland after him in uncontrolled fury, is that he compared Headland's tattoo to a woman with whom he had recently had sex.

There are several precedents for players being fined for abusing one another.

These include then Port Adelaide player Brett Montgomery, who in 2004 was fined $2000 and made to publicly apologise for saying to Essendon's Adam Ramanauskas, who suffered from cancer: "That chemo must have f---ed with your head."

Selwood is from one of the AFL's best footballing families. His twin Troy plays with Brisbane and younger brother Joel is in his his first year with Geelong. In 2005, their mother Maree was named AFL Players Association "mother of the year".