HAWTHORN is set to appeal Lance Franklin’s two-match suspension after he failed to beat a charge of rough conduct at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night.

Hawthorn has appealed on the basis that there was an error in law and that no tribunal acting reasonably could have reached this verdict on the evidence before it.

The appeals board will sit at 5.30pm on Thursday to hear the case.

If the suspension stands Franklin will miss Hawthorn's virtual elimination final against Essendon this weekend and either the first week of the finals, if the Hawks make the eight, or round one of next season.

There was a deal of confusion after the hearing, with tribunal chairman John Hassett directing the jury that they were not able to find that the bump itself was unreasonable, but instead had to decide whether Franklin had other options open to him, namely laying a tackle.

Evans said as he left the hearing with Franklin that one aspect of the summing up had perplexed him and had hinted at an appeal.

"It didn't go our way so that's a very disappointing result for us," he said.

"I find it a little distressing that in summing up we can regard someone's conduct as reasonable, but they can still miss two matches.

"It's very disappointing and we'll be following that up with Adrian (Anderson)."
Franklin said he was extremely disappointed by the outcome, saying he felt he had done nothing wrong.

"I'm very devastated, I'd love to be out there with the boys this weekend and the weekend after," he said.

Last year's Coleman Medallist was charged by the match review panel for his third-quarter hit on Richmond midfielder Ben Cousins at the MCG on Saturday - which knocked out the former Eagle - and was given a two week penalty, reduced to one week with an early plea, an offer the Hawks rejected.