North Melbourne midfielder George Wardlaw can expect to be charged for tripping Geelong's Shaun Mannagh when the AFL's Match Review Officer hands down their findings from Saturday's match.

A second-quarter contest on the wing of Blundstone Arena saw Mannagh collect possession as the ball sat between the Cat and Wardlaw, with Wardlaw's reaction to Mannagh's side-step seeing him move his right leg in the way of his opponent.

Wardlaw's boot looks to make contact with Mannagh's shin, flooring the Cats' midfield-forward before a free kick was paid against Wardlaw for tripping.

Wardlaw's actions will likely lead to a charge from the MRO, who will need to decide if the level of impact on Mannagh was more than negligible.

If deemed so, then Wardlaw's actions are to be graded as intentional conduct and body contact, while the level of impact is likely to be low. Those gradings would mean Wardlaw is fined rather than suspended.

An impact grading of medium or higherย would result in a suspension for Wardlaw.

If the level of impact is less than negligible, then Wardlaw will be sanctioned with a fixed financial sanction rather than a classifiable offence. The MRO will weigh up how fast the opponent was moving, whether the trip was by hand or by foot/leg and whether contact was made with a swinging motion when deciding whether it should be a classifiable offence or not.

A suspension for Wardlaw, while unlikely, would make the Roos midfielder ineligible for the Rising Star Award and unavailable for selection next week when the Kangaroos meet Richmond in Round 21.

Wardlaw's teammate Darcy Tucker may also earn the ire of the MRO for a tackle on Geelong's Oliver Henry during the same quarter.

Henry is rotated and turned into the ground by Tucker, who does manage to free both of Henry's arms before he makes contact with the ground.

Tucker's ability to give Henry a chance to protect himself before landing on the surface could see the Roos wingman avoid a charge of rough conduct.

The MRO will release their findings from Saturday's action on Sunday evening.