ST KILDA defender Nathan Brown has been sent straight to the Tribunal for his late hit on Adam Saad, which saw the Essendon speedster stretchered from the ground.

Brown has been charged with rough conduct, with the bump categorised as intentional, high impact and high contact (to the head).

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Saad sat out the match after the incident, which occurred in the first quarter as he was running through the middle of the ground. Brown bumped Saad late, after he had disposed of the ball. 

Any player referred directly to the Tribunal cannot submit an early guilty plea and be eligible for a discounted sanction.

It wasn't the only incident to catch Match Review Officer Michael Christian's eye from Friday night's match, with Bomber Cale Hooker offered a $1500 fine (with an early guilty plea) for misconduct against Daniel McKenzie.