Central Coast have lodged an appeal against the severity of the eight-match ban handed to striker Roy O'Donovan for his New Year's Eve headbutt on Wellington defender Manny Muscat.
Football Federation Australia's independent disciplinary committee issued O'Donovan with the second-longest ban in A-League history last week for the incident that occurred during the Mariners' 3-1 win over the Phoenix.
Central Coast will argue the sanction highlights the disparity between penalties imposed by the disciplinary committee compared with the match review panel.
"When assessed against penalties imposed for similar incidents, the penalty is manifestly excessive and reflects a clear disconnection between the A-League and other leagues (both domestically and internationally)," the club said in a statement.
