Port Adelaide star Dan Houston has been handed a five-match ban for his brutal bump on Adelaide's Izak Rankine during last weekend's Showdown.

Houston fronted the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night, with Port arguing for a three-match ban. The club suggested Rankine's concussion was a result of his head hitting the ground following the bump from Houston, rather than the contact with Houston itself.

The five-match suspension means Houston will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, even if Port Adelaide advances all the way to the Grand Final.

The AFL argued for a penalty of five matches, with Adelaide's medical report noting that Rankine also suffered an AC joint injury to his right shoulder as a result of Houston's bump.

After apologising to Rankine ahead of his tribunal hearing, Houston issued another formal apology to the 24-year-old Adelaide star in a statement at the tribunal.

"I regret my decision to bump Izak and I'm very sorry for the injury my decision caused," he said.

"I remember the ball coming in my direction after [Adelaide player Mark] Keane's double-fisted spoil. My first thought was to get the ball myself.

"I recall seeing Rankine when I was within a meter or so of him. I don't remember making the decision to bump. It is clear from the film that I did make that decision. I never meant to hurt Izak, let alone concuss him.

"I don't believe I made any contact at all with Izak's head, neck or top of his shoulders, but I accept that my bump caused his head to hit the ground, and because of that, this is classified as high contact.

"At the time, I didn't see his head hit the ground because I was watching the ball. I don't know why I didn't tackle. In the past, this has been my first instinct. I don't know why I decided to bump because I can't remember making that decision because it all happened so quickly."

The suspension is the first of Houston's 168-game career in the AFL, a fact Port Adelaide raised to the Tribunal as a part of its case.

"I like to think that I'm a fair player. I have never been suspended before. I've been an AFL player for nine years," he said.

While the Tribunal took Houston's prior record into consideration, Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson KC said Houston had a duty of care not to tackle Rankine in a way that would result in an offence of rough conduct.

"Houston breached that duty of care, and his breach was significant," he said.

"The carelessness was significant, the impact was severe, and the consequences for Rankine were evident."

While Houston's ban ends his season, it could also potentially end his career at Port Adelaide, with the 27-year-old reportedly considering a trade back to his home state of Victoria. 

Houston penned a five-year extension with Port in 2022, a deal which sees him locked in through the 2027 season, but he has been linked with a move to a Victorian club in recent months.

In remains unclear whether Port Adelaide would be willing to grant a trade back home for Houston, who was an All-Australian last season and is widely regarded as one of the best kicks in the competition.