Sydney star Barry Hall's football future is in the hands of the AFL tribunal, after his hit on Brent Staker was deemed too severe for a set penalty.

As Staker's mum called for a season ban and a medical expert warned similar blows could cause brain injury or even death, the match review panel gave the strike the highest grading possible.

Hall's left hook to the head of the West Coast defender was ruled as intentional, high contact, causing severe impact.

That grading lifted it above the number of activation points which equates to a set penalty, meaning Hall must face the tribunal on Tuesday night.

It also means he can not gain a 25 per cent reduction for an early guilty plea, although the tribunal can still take an admission of guilt into account.

Staker underwent scans on Monday, but the Eagles were yet to determine the full extent of his injury and he has not been ruled out of playing in Sunday's match against Port Adelaide.

Meanwhile, Hall on Monday had surgery on his right wrist, which he broke when he ran into advertising hoardings late in Saturday night's match at ANZ Stadium.

The injury would normally be expected to sideline him for up to six weeks, but that timeframe will probably be irrelevant, given his looming suspension is likely to be at least that long.

Staker's parents vented their anger at the former Sydney skipper, his mother Rosemary Staker urging officials to rub him out for the season, while father Alan labelled Hall "a weak mongrel".

"If it was a fight fair enough, but not to be king hit when there's nothing in it and you're not expecting it," Mr Staker told ABC radio in Perth.

"My disappointment is in the AFL ... they spruik about players not being allowed to go anywhere near the head now and penalising them if they do.

"So let's see what they do. He deserves a fair sentence for a fairly weak act."

The Royal Melbourne Hospital's director of neurosurgery Andrew Kaye warned that the consequences of punches delivered with such force could be extremely serious and in rare cases deadly.

"It can be potentially fatal, it can be fatal either from the blow itself to the head or from when a person drops down and hits their head," Kaye told the Ten Network.

Staker and the Eagles have ruled out legal action against Hall.

But Eagles assistant coach Peter Sumich suggested a red card system should be considered, given the Eagles were left a player short, as Staker was unable to return to the field.

"The AFL might look at that now, because we had 21 players running around which did affect us," he said.

But he was unwilling to give a view on what sort of suspension would be appropriate.

"Look that's just an incident in the game and the AFL will deal with that, I think he's up tomorrow night so they will deal with it," he said.

Hall's actions also disappointed Sydney, as co-captain Leo Barry said it would take the forward some time to earn back respect from his teammates.

The AFL expected the hearing to take place tomorrow night, although it is open for Sydney to apply for a postponement if they do not believe Hall has recovered sufficiently from his operation to make the trip to Melbourne.

It would be up to the tribunal chairman to decide whether to grant that application.

The last player to be referred directly to the tribunal was St Kilda's Steven Baker, who was charged after an AFL investigation for rough conduct on Fremantle's Jeff Farmer in round 20 last season.

Baker was handed a seven-match ban, although it would only have been four games if not for a heavy penalty loading for prior offences.

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