The Fremantle Football Club notified the AFL on Tuesday morning that it would not appeal the Match Review Panel’s decision to suspend ruckman Aaron Sandilands.

Sandilands was charged with rough conduct against Richmond’s Ben Griffiths in a ruck contest in the third quarter of Freo’s NAB Challenge game last Friday.

The incident was assessed as careless with medium impact and carried a two-game suspension if found guilty by the AFL tribunal.

An early plea of guilty reduces it to one week, which will see the 2015 Doig Medallist miss the opening round of the home and away season and be available for round two.

Ross Lyon post-match Q & A

General manager of football operations Chris Bond said if the club challenged the panel’s decision and was unsuccessful, the penalty would revert to two weeks and result in the 239-game veteran missing the first two rounds of the home and away season.

“This was a long and considered decision,” Bond said.

“After seeking advice from our legal team on the Match Review Panel’s decision it became apparent that any challenge was a high-risk strategy that would more than likely see Aaron suspended for two weeks as opposed to one after an early plea.

“Having said that, we also believe there are currently a number of grey areas in the rule that saw Aaron charged with rough conduct, which we will be seeking clarification from the AFL.

“We also have concerns about the third-man up situation which we also plan to raise with the AFL.”