West Coast and Fremantle will both have to cope with the absence of star midfielders for their next three games, after the Eagles' Daniel Kerr and Dockers' Josh Carr both accepted AFL suspensions.

Kerr admitted to head-butting Western Bulldogs veteran Scott West, settling for a three-match ban rather than risking the possibility of five matches on the sidelines had he visited the tribunal.

Carr would have risked a four-game suspension had he challenged a charge of kneeing Geelong gun midfielder Gary Ablett, instead pleading guilty and accepting his three-match spell.

Both players were hurt by a penalty loading for their record of prior offences.

The absences of the two on-ballers will be major blows to their respective clubs, both of whom have failed to live up to expectations this season with only one win each from the first six rounds.

Kerr's penalty rules him out for Friday night's Subiaco clash with a Carlton side led by Chris Judd, as the former Eagles' skipper makes his first visit to his former home ground in opposition colours.

Remarkably, the Blues will head to Perth as favourites against the Eagles, who won the premiership just 19 months ago, but have lost badly in their past five games.

Kerr will also miss matches against North Melbourne and Adelaide.

Carr will miss the Dockers' upcoming games against Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs and Carlton, a big blow for a club whose only victory this season has been against the Eagles.

Port Adelaide utility Chad Cornes was the only player to front the tribunal and while he was handed a one-game ban for striking St Kilda's Jason Blake, his visit could still be said to have paid off.

He is set to miss three or four matches anyway after breaking a finger in Saturday night's match against the Saints, meaning his suspension for the coming Sunday's Telstra Dome clash with Essendon is inconsequential.

And by serving the suspension, rather than accepting a reprimand for an early guilty plea, he will be left with just 25 carryover points towards future offences, rather than 93.75.

He has been ruled out of contention for this year's Brownlow, but would have been ineligible even with an early guilty plea, as the initial charge was worth more than 100 points.

West Coast utility Brent Staker and Hawthorn's Ben McGlynn pleaded guilty and accepted reprimands for striking, while Sydney's Luke Ablett has been fined $1,950 for making negligent contact with umpire Michael Avon.

Kerr, Western Bulldogs' Dylan Addison, Essendon youngster Kyle Reimers and Collingwood's Dale Thomas all accepted $900 fines for wrestling.

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