THE highest-profile victim of a king hit on the football field, Collingwood's John Greening, whose career was all but ended when he was felled behind play in 1972, said Sydney's Barry Hall should be banned for at least six matches for hitting Brent Staker.

Hall is likely to face a ban of at least that amount after the charge was last night referred directly to the AFL Tribunal. The match review panel deemed the incident warranted nine activation points for being intentional, severe and high contact and as such, it had to automatically be referred to the tribunal.

It also means he cannot gain a 25% reduction for an early guilty plea.

Swans full-forward Hall yesterday had surgery on his broken wrist and was in hospital last night. He is unlikely to attend tonight's tribunal hearing but may give evidence by video link.

Sydney is believed to have briefed Terry Forrest, QC, to represent Hall.

Hall's press conference on Sunday appeared to suggest he would plead guilty to the charges and seek only to argue for leniency.

He is expected to face internal sanction by the Swans players over the incident. Co-captain Leo Barry said yesterday: "Everyone's disappointed in what happened with Hally's actions. I think everyone has felt as though he's let everyone down a bit."

It is believed Staker is not inclined to pursue the matter legally, keen instead to return to playing as soon as possible. Scans yesterday cleared him of a broken jaw.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital's director of neurosurgery, Andrew Kaye, warned that the consequences of blows such as Hall's, delivered with such force, could be extremely serious and in rare cases deadly.

"It is potentially fatal, it can be fatal either from the blow itself to the head or from when a person drops and hits their head," Kaye said.

Greening suffered arguably the worst behind-play incident when he was king hit in a game against St Kilda in 1972 and spent a fortnight in a coma. He returned to play again but he was never the same player, managing only 14 more games.

"I would think he would get minimum six weeks. It was uncalled for and unnecessary but at least there is vision of it," Greening said. "It is very rare now, so I know the tribunal will want to clamp down on it."

Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews — who as a Hawk struck Geelong's Neville Bruns behind play in round 12, 1985, and was deregistered for four games by the VFL for conduct unbecoming — would not be drawn on the Hall incident.

"I think we'd best better leave that one. Nothing good's going to come out of any of my comments, I can tell you," Matthews said.

Asked if there was a comparison between the two incidents, Matthews replied: "Maybe that's more reason why I shouldn't have anything to say about it."

Former Subiaco star Sam McFarlane, who received a compound fracture of the jaw after being struck by Hall in 1997, said he wasn't surprised by Saturday night's events. McFarlane spent four days in hospital and still has three titanium plates in his face after the incident while playing for the Kangaroos' reserves in July 1997.

The talented wingman missed more than two months. The tribunal suspended Hall for five matches but he returned in time to play in the grand final for St Kilda. McFarlane played only two more reserves games for the Kangaroos and was delisted at just 20, having managed two AFL games.

"My wife and I watched the remainder of the match with complete sympathy for Brent and his family," McFarlane said. "For 11 years, I've followed Hall's career and therefore wasn't totally surprised with the incident. I think his record speaks for itself."

Former Richmond coach Danny Frawley — who was knocked out by Hawthorn forward Dermott Brereton, who was subsequently suspended for six matches — said West Coast players had responded correctly in not brawling with Hall and the Swans players in protest.

"I think West Coast pretty well should be commended for what they did because it's not going to get anyone anywhere doing that," Frawley said.