TRISTAN Xerri has been suspended for three matches at Monday night’s Tribunal for his "disgraceful behaviour" in wiping blood on the face of Andy McGrath.

North Melbourne pled guilty to the serious misconduct charge, but argued for a two-match ban, citing Xerri’s remorse and previous one-match suspensions for Nathan Buckley and Jeremy Howe for similar incidents as grounds for leniency.

However, the AFL got its wish in handing the ruck a three-match suspension. He will now miss games against Carlton, Brisbane and Richmond.

02:11

Roos ruck's blood-wiping act under scrutiny after bizarre passage of play

Tristan Xerri may come under MRO scrutiny after appearing to wipe blood on a Bomber following an extraordinary sequence that saw the ruckman concede a 100m penalty

Published on Mar 28, 2026

In his evidence, Xerri said he was defending himself from Essendon players who were taunting him, claiming he was staging for a free kick, but admitted he had a "brain fade" and should have done better.

The Tribunal agreed, with chairman Jeff Gleeson calling it a "shocking" act.

“The intentional act of wiping blood from your nose on to the face of another player is disgraceful behaviour,” Gleeson said in his summary.

“The blood could quite easily have made contact with McGrath’s mouth.”

Tristan Xerri clashes with Andrew McGrath during the match between North Melbourne and Essendon in R3, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

The North Melbourne ruckman said a forearm or elbow from an opponent had caused the initial cut on his nose and things escalated after he kicked a goal moments later.

“I was getting called a 'weak c-word. An effing, flopping c-word',” Xerri said.

“It’s not right what I did. I’m sorry and sincerely apologise for that.

“I extracted the blood to show them (Essendon) I was bleeding. That was my intention.

“It was just a lapse in judgement. There’s no excuses. It’s a poor look. I was defending myself and in that moment I had a brain fade. I should have done better.”

Tristan Xerri reacts after being struck on the nose during the match between Essendon and North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium in round three, 2026. Picture: Getty Images

Xerri said he called McGrath the following morning and the pair had a “good conversation”.

Gleeson said if it was not for Xerri’s remorse – he also called a doctor to educate himself on the risks of his conduct – the suspension could have been even longer.

The Tribunal discounted the incidents involving Buckley with Cameron Ling in 2002 and Howe with Tom Jonas in 2012, as those players had wiped the blood on the opponent’s jumper and shorts respectively, not his face.

The ruck called McGrath on Sunday to apologise for his actions.

The 27-year-old threw himself at the mercy of the Tribunal after pleading guilty to the serious misconduct charge.

Xerri will now miss the Kangaroos' Good Friday clash with Carlton, as well as matches against Brisbane in Gather Round and Richmond.