Matt Owies reacts to a missed shot on goal during Carlton's match against St Kilda in R24, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

WESTERN Bulldogs defender Liam Jones has been cleared to play in the elimination final against Hawthorn after escaping with a fine for his dangerous tackle in Ballarat on Sunday, while Carlton will head to the Tribunal on Tuesday night to challenge the one-game ban handed to small forward Matt Owies.

Owies could miss Carlton's elimination final against Brisbane after his dangerous tackle on St Kilda matchwinner Jack Higgins in the Blues' two-point loss at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.

Owies ran down Higgins on the wing before driving him into the turf midway through the thrilling fourth quarter, an action the Match Review Officer graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

Higgins got to his feet and played out the rest of the game, kicking the go-ahead goal for the Saints with 12 seconds left on the clock.

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Is Owies in hot water for this tackle?

Carlton forward Matt Owies could come under scrutiny for this tackle on Jack Higgins

The Blues have announced the will head to the Tribunal to challenge the ban. Melbourne will also appear this week to appeal the three-match suspension handed to Kysaiah Pickett from Friday night's game against Collingwood.

While the news is bad for the Blues, the Bulldogs will be breathing a sigh of relief that Jones will be available for their game against the red-hot Hawks.

Jones had faced the heartbreaking prospect of missing out on his first ever final for a tackle on Greater Western Sydney's Aaron Cadman just 18 seconds into the Dogs' 37-point win over the Giants in Ballarat on Sunday.

But the incident has been graded as low impact by the Match Review Officer, rather than medium impact, which means the Dogs defender has copped a fine instead of a suspension.

Jones pinned Cadman's right arm and drove him into the ground early in the match, slamming the forward's head on the turf.

Cadman's teammates immediately rushed in to remonstrate with Jones, while the forward was given a free kick for a dangerous tackle.

The former No.1 pick kicked a goal and was able to play out the game.

The 33-year-old Jones is a crucial part of the Bulldogs' backline having played 104 games for the club across two stints, either side of 95 games for Carlton.

The final against Hawthorn on Friday, September 6 will be the 200th game of his AFL career.