NORTH Melbourne's Brent Harvey will head to the Tribunal in a bid to play in Friday night's preliminary final after he was hit with a one-match ban by the Match Review Panel for his hit on Geelong skipper Joel Selwood.

The veteran was charged with a level one rough conduct offence against Geelong skipper Joel Selwood in the Roos' semi-final win last Friday night. 

The incident was assessed as negligent conduct (one point), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points). A total of four activation points draws 125 demerit points and a one-match ban. 

But the 383-gamer's bad record means he cannot accept a discounted early plea for the bump, which left Selwood with a cut above his right eye. 

The incident came in Harvey's first game back from a three-game suspension for misconduct late in the home and away season that forced him to miss the club's elimination final against Essendon. 

His bad record added a 10 per cent loading, making the penalty 137.5 demerit points and a one-match sanction. But Harvey also has 41 demerit points carried over from within the last 12 months, which increases the overall penalty to 178.5 points.

An early plea would reduce the sanction by 25 per cent to 133.88 points, which would remain at a one-week suspension. 

Even if the club fails in a bid to overturn the decision at the AFL Tribunal, Harvey is not risking missing any extra matches. 

Speaking just before the MRP announced its verdict, North Melbourne skipper Andrew Swallow said the club was not frustrated that Harvey had put himself at risk of another suspension.  

"I think it was just a bit of bad luck, so hopefully the Match Review (Panel) see it that way," Swallow said. 

"But you can never judge what they're going to do. (We'll) leave it up them and we'll wait and see what happens."

In other incidents, Fremantle defender Zac Dawson was cleared of a match-day report for striking Port Adelaide's Robbie Gray. The MRP said his high contact was with his upper arm and part of a legitimate spoiling action.