FREMANTLE key forward Chris Tarrant is facing a hefty fine or even a possible suspension after allegedly assaulting a would-be federal parliamentarian at a Darwin nightclub.

Tarrant is alleged to have punched Damian Hale, the ALP candidate for the marginal Northern Territory seat of Solomon, and also coach of the NT Thunder under-18 side.

The Dockers were making no comment last night after releasing a statement promising a full investigation of the incident, but sources indicated a fine rather than a suspension was a more likely result.

Despite Tarrant's blemished disciplinary record with Collingwood, his still-clean slate with the Dockers is unlikely to mean he would be rubbed out by the club, unlike Jeff Farmer, whose club suspension this season followed several off-field incidents.

Fremantle's statement read: "We can now confirm that we have spoken to Chris in relation to this issue and advise that a full investigation will immediately take place and the club will make a further statement when this process has concluded."

The incident with Hale occurred at the Lost Ark nightclub, after Hale had introduced Tarrant to a female strength-and-conditioning coach from the NT Institute of Sport.

Tarrant is alleged to have dropped his trousers and bared his buttocks, then when reproached by Hale, is alleged to have hit the junior coach. Hale is sporting a black eye from the incident.

"He just punched me, gave me one and then he took off. I didn't retaliate or anything," Hale claimed on Channel Nine news last night.

"(It was) just offensive in the way he basically pulled down his trousers and bared his backside to her."

Tarrant then clashed with former Kangaroos player Jason McCartney after McCartney had tried to get him to leave the club. McCartney said he had not witnessed the incident between Tarrant and Hale, but could sense trouble brewing.

"I spoke to a few people and said I wanted to tell him to get out," McCartney said last night. "There was general angst everywhere. There was too many people there and I'm not surprised, unfortunately, what happened. Old Darwin, mate, it's like the wild west. He just doesn't need that s---."

Tarrant was traded by Collingwood to the Dockers at the end of last season after a season in which he struggled with injury and form, and was involved in a nightclub incident with teammate Ben Johnson, the pair each fined $5000.

Saturday night's incident involving Tarrant happened before Fremantle assistant coach Mark Harvey was assaulted outside the same nightclub.

Harvey, who was part of a group of Fremantle players, officials and friends, was king-hit and knocked unconscious, his head hitting the pavement, as he tried to prevent the partner of Docker player Heath Black being harassed by a group of locals.

Harvey was treated by Fremantle doctor Ken Withers after returning to the team hotel, but required no further medical treatment, and was yesterday on a fishing holiday in the West Australian town of Kununurra.

The trouble capped a disastrous weekend for the club, which lost its crucial match against the Western Bulldogs earlier the same evening, leaving it 11th on the AFL ladder.

But Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab said last night the pressure on coach Chris Connolly, whose contract expires at the end of this season, had not increased.

"Chris is under no illusion at all that this is a very significant period in his coaching," Schwab told SEN radio. "He understands that there's very high expectations coming into the season.

"He understands there's very high expectations for the remainder of the season. But there will be no consideration of his position between now and the end of the season."

Schwab said that even if Fremantle missed the finals, it did not necessarily mean that Connolly would be axed. "You look at all the reasons why that happened and you look at the role that the coach has actually played in that process," he said.