Brisbane defender Dee Heslop has been banned for three games, the equal-longest AFLW suspension, in a crushing blow to her finals aspirations.
Heslop's only chance of playing again this season rests on Brisbane losing their qualifying final, then winning their next two games - she would then be available for the grand final.
The three-game supension equals the rough conduct sanction given to Adelaide's Najwa Allen this year.
Heslop was cited for rough conduct for a sling tackle which knocked out Melbourne ruck Rhi Watt in last Saturday night's clash.
Heslop's tackle was graded as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact and she was sent directly to the tribunal.
Wednesday night's hearing was told Watt, on her head hitting the ground, was immediately unconscious - she has been ruled out of the Demons' elimination final against Geelong on Sunday.
Watt could miss the following week, should Melbourne advance, the tribunal heard.
The 22-year-old Heslop argued she didn't sling Watt in a tackle but had the entire weight of the Demon on her as they fell to ground.
"It was just an unfortunate event, her hitting her head," Heslop told the tribunal. "I have just gone to wrap her up, to make a tackle.
"I had no control, her momentum is falling back on me ... I had all her body weight on top of me."
The New Zealand-born halfback was unaware of Watt's injury at the time.
"I had no idea until I got told," she said. "It's obviously not nice seeing someone get injured, especially coming into these rounds of finals."
The tribunal upheld the charge, with Heslop to miss Brisbane's away qualifying final against Adelaide on Saturday and her club's two following matches.
Meanwhile, Geelong's Kate Darby failed to overturn her one-match ban for rough conduct.
Darby will miss the Cats' first-ever final, an elimination bout against Essendon, on Sunday.
Darby was moving to tackle Hawthorn's Jas Fleming last weekend when the Hawk changed direction and the pair collided.
The Cat described the contact as inevitable.
"I was already in a train of movement that I couldn't change," Darby told the tribunal. "The only thing that I could do when she did turn was brace my left side, knowing that we were going to make contact ... there was nothing else I could reasonably do."
But the tribunal found her guilty of the charge, rated as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.