Capital Football competitions manager Chris Doyle is adamant suspended sentences will act as a deterrent for on-field incidents after three National Premier League players had proposed bans significantly downgraded.
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Gungahlin United midfielder Shane Murray and goalkeeper Jason Denham were offered seven-week suspensions for violent conduct, while Cooma Tigers striker Julian Borgna was offered the same penalty with an additional two games suspended.
However, those penalties were reduced after both clubs took their cases to the tribunal on Wednesday night.
Murray and Borgna will miss the opening two rounds of the NPL season with another three games suspended, while Denham will miss one game with two games suspended.
All three players were sent off in a 4-4 draw between Gungahlin and Cooma in a pre-season match on March 21. Another player from Cooma who was sent off for a second yellow card wasn't charged.
Denham essentially won't miss any additional games given he was already going to receive an automatic one-game ban for a red card, while Murray and Borgna have an extra week on the sidelines for their involvement.
The suspended bans apply if the players are found guilty during the rest of the season of an R1 or an R2 offence, which includes serious foul play or violent conduct.
The two clubs had charges of bringing the game into disrepute upheld, receiving a written warning for a first offence and having a suspended fine of $100.
Capital Football competitions manager Chris Doyle was confident the punishment from the tribunal would help to curb undesirable behaviour.
"Having that suspended sentence over their head actually is a deterrent," Doyle said.
"It might just figure that small amount of thinking about consequences for actions.
"Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if any of those players are in a situation on the pitch where things are getting a bit heated, one might reasonably think they might (reconsider their actions) knowing they have a three game suspension hanging over their head."
Gungahlin United president Ricardo Alberto was satisfied with the tribunal's decision and admitted there were areas his club, which is making its debut in the NPL, could improve.
"We think it's a fair result and fundamentally still matches the original offence," Alberto said.
"There's things we could have done at the game that would have helped prevent that.
"We're still learning as a new club and we're putting procedures in place to ensure that we help the players that those scenarios don't re-occur."
Gungahlin United will open the NPL season against Belconnen United on April 11.
