Hocking argued that his sling tackle on West Coast's Daniel Kerr during the third quarter of the Bombers' 57-point loss on Saturday was not unreasonable, saying it was his only option to prevent the Eagle from disposing of the ball.
As part of its defence Essendon showed footage from previous games of Kerr breaking tackles, and Hocking said Kerr's ability in that regard had been a key focus of his preparation for his run-with role on the premiership on-baller.
But tribunal counsel Jeff Gleeson argued that Hocking had breached his duty of care to his opponent by lifting and throwing him back into the Patersons Stadium turf.
Gleeson suggested that the Essendon 23-year-old could have instead taken Kerr to ground more safely to the left or right.
The tribunal agreed, and upheld the sanction originally handed down by the match review panel on Monday.
Essendon football operations general manager Paul Hamilton said the club was disappointed with the decision, but would accept it and turn its focus to the Power.
"We thought Heath had a strong case," Hamilton said.
"It's a difficult one in these circumstances.
"He was playing on a player who continually breaks tackles and gets up on his feet and gets away from tackles.
"We demonstrated that tonight and Heath was quite aware of that going into the game.
"But in the end we have to accept the decision of the tribunal, and we'll move forward."
Essendon has a bye in round 24, meaning Hocking's next match will be in the elimination final, provided the Bombers get there.
Having also missed rounds 18 and 19 with foot soreness, the midfielder is set to enter that final with just three games in seven weeks under his belt.
