St Kilda forward Anthony Caminiti has learned his Tribunal fate following the charge he received from the Match Review Officer on Monday for striking Hawthorn's James Sicily.
The Tribunal has overturned the MRO's verdict of a one-match suspension, meaning Caminiti is eligible to play in St Kilda's important bout with Carlton this Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
The Tribunal found Caminiti's strike to be an act of fending off Sicily, resulting in the downgrading of the charge from 'intentional' conduct to 'careless' conduct, meaning Caminiti pay a fine instead of missing a game.
On Tuesday evening, the Tribunal heard arguments from both sides, as well as evidence from Caminiti, regarding the strike.
Caminiti's strike occurred during the third quarter of St Kilda's victory over Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium last Sunday afternoon, as the first-year goalkicker can be seen clipping Sicily high after marking the ball against him.
Match Review Officer Michael Christian adjudged the incident to be intentional conduct, low impact, and high contact, resulting in a single-game ban.
Anderson (St Kilda) referenced Gold Coast Sun Charlie Ballard's strike against Essendon's Matt Guelfi in Round 2 as part of an attempt to argue Caminiti's strike was an effort to fend off Sicily after he marked the ball.
After initially receiving a one-match ban from the MRO for that incident, Ballard was later let off by the Tribunal after it supported the argument that Ballard's was a 'fending' motion.
Adrian Anderson, representing Caminiti and St Kilda, argued on the Saints' behalf that Caminiti's strike should be adjudged careless, as opposed to the MRO's adjudication of intentional, due to the fact the initial contact made to the Hawthorn captain was to his shoulder region. Anderson contends that only after initial shoulder contact does Caminiti's hand move to Sicily's head area.
Andrew Woods (AFL) argued Caminiti's act was intentional, and that the Saint was aiming to strike Sicily in the head area.
The incident involving Caminiti and Sicily can be viewed below.
St Kilda elected to challenge the MRO's ruling, announcing on Tuesday afternoon the club's legal representation would front the Tribunal in an attempt to overrule Christian's decision.
The Saints' meeting with the Blues is fixtured for this Sunday at 3:20 PM (AEST) at Marvel Stadium.