NORTH Melbourne defender Jackson Archer, Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch and Hawthorn defender Jack Scrimshaw have all had their respective suspensions upheld at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Archer will miss games against Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney through his three-match rough conduct ban over the sickening collision that knocked out Western Bulldogs defender Luke Cleary.

North can still take the case to the AFL appeals board but at this stage is unlikely to do so.

Cleary was knocked out when Archer's knee made contact with his head in a contest in Saturday night's match at Marvel Stadium.

Play was stopped and Cleary received medical attention before being taken to hospital.

The match review officer graded Archer's actions as careless, severe impact and high contact, resulting in the three-game suspension.

The incident has been the subject of much debate over the past few days, with a number of past and current players labelling it an "unfortunate accident" and even Dogs coach Luke Beveridge saying he didn't think Archer should be suspended.

Cleary, 23, was back at Whitten Oval in good spirits on Monday but will miss the Bulldogs' match against Collingwood on Friday night under concussion protocols.

North's defence centred around Cleary's decision to go to ground to collect the ball, rather than stay on his feet.

Gleeson acknowledged rules encouraged players to keep their feet but this didn't always happen and "players need to be aware", saying Archer had "slowed too little and too late".

North can still take the case to the AFL appeals board.

Archer said he was initially competing for the ball, then looked to press.

"I expected him to pick up the ball and stay on his feet," he said, noting players were trained not to go to ground.

Archer said once Cleary's knee hit the ground, he had slowed down and braced for impact.

"My bum's down, trying to slow down as much (as possible), hit the brakes," he said.

Archer reached out to Cleary the following day and the Bulldogs defender had told him the incident wasn't his fault.

AFL lawyer Andrew Woods said Archer hadn't taken "reasonable care" to avoid the collision and had Cleary stayed on his feet and bent down to get the ball, the outcome could have been worse.

North used graphs showing Archer's "active deceleration" prior to impact and lawyer Justin Graham noted he showed "no indication of ever turning to bump" or "leaving the ground".

Graham said Cleary also appeared to receive contact in his back/shoulder from Jacob Konstanty, who was behind him.

Meanwhile, Lynch will miss Saturday's match against Port Adelaide after his one-game ban for a high bump on Carlton tall Tom De Koning was upheld by the Tribunal.

During the second quarter of Thursday night's game, De Koning grabbed the ball out of the ruck before dishing off a handball, only to be met heavily by Lynch coming in the opposite direction.

The big Blue spent some time on the bench afterwards but did not undergo a HIA and was cleared to stay on the field.

Richmond argued Lynch's contact with De Koning, where his shoulder hit the Blue's jaw, was due to Carlton defender Jacob Weitering pushing him forward.

"I'm in a vulnerable position and I react to get my head out of the dangerous position it was in," Lynch said.

Lynch said he had not attempted to bump or make high contact.

Woods argued the Weitering push was "not of any significant force" and Lynch had opted to bump.

After just 17 minutes of deliberating, the Tribunal found Lynch had intended to bump De Koning and did so, and it was not caused by the push from Weitering.

The rough conduct charge and "careless" grading were upheld.

In the final hearing of the night, Scrimshaw, who did not speak, pleaded guilty to striking Ridley, to careless conduct and high contact, but Hawthorn unsuccessfully submitted it should be high impact, not severe, in a bid to reduce the ban to two games.

Ridley played on for a bit after the incident but was later subbed out during the third term with concussion after Scrimshaw's swinging left arm caught him around the head.

Scrimshaw was due to miss Thursday night's game against Carlton with concussion after a head clash with teammate Josh Battle left him bloodied and bruised, but he will now also sit out matches against Greater Western Sydney and Port Adelaide.

With Hawthorn having a bye in round four, it means Scrimshaw won't be seen until the Easter Monday clash against Geelong.