Bell was last night handed a one-match ban after being found guilty of striking Gisborne ruckman Jason Duff-Tytler during the third quarter of Golden Square’s 108-point qualifying final win on Sunday.

Bell was reported by boundary umpire Aaron Valente.

Valente said he saw Bell “strike Jason with an open hand to the face”, describing the force as a two out of 10.

Duff-Tytler said he “felt a push or blow to my face, but the force wasn’t anything to knock me to the ground, give me a black eye or draw blood”.

In his evidence, Bell said the contact he made to Duff-Tytler stemmed from a deflection off Duff-Tytler’s shoulder as Bell put his arm out in a pushing motion.

In handing down the one-match suspension, tribunal chairman Terry Kennedy told Bell: “Striking is striking, and the league is trying to keep its finals as clean as possible”, before adding the contact by Bell was at “the very low end of the scale”.

During the same incident, Duff-Tytler was subsequently reported for attempting to strike Bell as he retaliated.

However, Duff-Tytler took the one-match set penalty, meaning he will miss this Sunday’s first semi-final against Kangaroo Flat.

While Duff-Tytler will be unavailable, veteran Gisborne defender Matt McKenzie will be clear to take on the Roos.

McKenzie had been reported by central umpire John Norton on a charge of striking Golden Square’s Jack Geary after they collided low to the ground during the second quarter of last Sunday’s match.

However, after watching a video of the incident, Norton and his advocate Peter Hilson successfully had the charge amended to “making forceful contact from front-on while that person has their head over the ball”.

Geary said the contact he felt was “not excessive”, while McKenzie described his actions as: “I dived on the ball and turned my body protect my body and protect the ball.”

“My first intention was for the ball, most definitely,” McKenzie said.