GEELONG two-time best and fairest Amy McDonald has been cleared of her rough conduct charge and will be free to play West Coast this weekend.

It comes as a timely boost for the Cats, with Nina Morrison a chance to miss the clash after undergoing surgery on an open dislocation of her finger on Monday, while Georgie Prespakis will return from her own suspension.

It also keeps McDonald in the running for the league best and fairest, although the strong form of her teammates may hinder her chances at the medal.

The tackle against Essendon co-captain Steph Cain had been graded as careless, medium impact and high contact.

After 45 minutes of deliberations, chair Renee Enbom said the Tribunal (Paul Williams and Michelle Dench) saw McDonald's actions as not unreasonable in the circumstances, citing the Cat's verbal evidence, her low positioning in the tackle and Cain's actions, completely dismissing the charge.

Geelong counsel Adrian Anderson had argued given the "extremely unusual motion" of Cain in attempting to shake the tackle, McDonald's actions were not unreasonable.

If the Tribunal still saw the tackle as dangerous, Anderson argued the impact should be lessened from medium to low.

McDonald presented an account of what had occurred, saying she had lowered her centre of gravity in an attempt to roll Cain to the side and execute a legal tackle.

Cain's medical report said she received assessment of the cervical section (the upper portion, first seven vertebrae) of her neck but no treatment was needed. She took her free kick and played out the game.

McDonald said Cain first pushed forward, then planted her leg and attempted to shrug the Cat up and over, and as soon as she felt this shrug, she took her left arm off Cain while the right remained on the ball in Cain's arm.

She also said if she was attempting to drive Cain into the ground, she would have had to use both arms.

Anderson also showed two other tackles of McDonald's from the same game – one against Daria Bannister and the other on Bonnie Toogood – as an example of McDonald's usual technique.

AFL counsel Andrew Woods said the fact McDonald was able to bring her right knee to a halt showed she had greater control over momentum than the Cats were arguing.

He said it was an unreasonable action, as it is one that is rarely seen, and McDonald had a duty of care to Cain.

Woods argued impact should remain at medium as the absence of injury doesn't preclude the grading of a higher impact level, and that McDonald had pinned Cain's arm when she hit the ground in a vulnerable position.

He also used vision of a Maddy Prespakis tackle against Sarah Hosking in round four, 2021, which was graded at the same level as McDonald's.

Anderson counted that Prespakis had not released Hosking and driven her into the turf, while McDonald had let go with one arm.