Sydney Swans forward Lexi Hamilton has avoided missing out on almost half of the AFLW season after being approved by the league to serve two bans concurrently.
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Hamilton was set to miss the opening four rounds of the upcoming AFLW season following two separate suspensions in the off-season, before the league intervened on Tuesday.
The key forward, along with teammate Paige Sheppard, was slapped with a two-match ban in March after being charged with being in possession of an illicit substance.
Cleared to play in the VFLW, Hamilton was then handed a four-game suspension for rough conduct following a high collision with Melbourne's Lily Johnson.
The 23-year-old already served half of that ban when Sydney's five-match stint in the senior-tier competition ended in early May and was set to miss the first four games of the upcoming AFLW season.
Given the Swans did not participate in a full VFLW season and the elite women's competition consists of only 11 rounds, the league approved the club's submission to allow Hamilton serve her suspension concurrently.
Unlike the men's competition, the AFLW does not have a three-strikes drugs policy, so no adverse findings have been registered against either Hamilton or Paige.
The Swans duo appeared in court earlier in the year when they received a reprimand and did not have a conviction recorded.
Australian Associated Press
