An amateur WA footballer has a broken jaw after an alleged behind-the-play strike that prompted West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett to call for thugs to be marched out of the game.

A West Coast Amateur Football Club player, who asked not to be named, required surgery to insert a plate in his jaw after the incident during a game against Kelmscott at City Beach Oval on Saturday.

He said last night he would consider a police complaint.

WA Amateur Football League general manager David Armstrong said Kelmscott player Shaye Hayden accepted an on-the-spot red card and two-week suspension from a field umpire who saw the incident.

But after the extent of the injury became known, it was decided to send the case to the tribunal next Wednesday.

Mr Nisbett, whose two sons play in the WAAFL, said the Eagles sponsored the competition and expected games to be in the “right spirit”. Anyone who engaged in extreme violence should be deregistered.

“This is a dreadful incident for guys who just want to go and play and have some fun,” Mr Nisbett said.

“Guys don’t sign up for this and if you’re going to go outside the laws of the game, you should be punished with the maximum penalty.

“Enough is enough. This has been creeping in for a number of years. It’s not so much the number of incidents but their severity.”

A WAAFL presidents’ meeting last week was shown figures that the number of red cards had dropped substantially in the past four seasons but there were five more this season compared with the same time last year. Striking charges were up from 15 to 25 after the first eight rounds compared with last year.

Mr Armstrong denied violence was a problem in the competition, which had 236 teams and 10,311 players. He said the league was proactive against violence.

“This is an extreme case where there is alleged to be striking off the ball and a guy gets a broken jaw,” Mr Armstrong said. “No-one wants that. We’ve got a really good competition and we’re not going to get dragged back by a couple of individuals who have a brain snap.”

West Coast Amateur Football Club president Sam Birmingham said the club would support its player through any avenue he might pursue.

Kelmscott coach Shaun Baxter said his club did not condone any form of violence.

He said Hayden’s alleged actions were out of character for a club leader who was “very remorseful”.