Click here to watch the Ballantyne bump on Jaensch
Ballantyne's case was sent straight to the Tribunal this week after the Match Review Panel decided its table of offences would return too harsh a penalty when taking into account the key Docker's bad record.
Click here to see the MRP's full round 12 statement
With the freedom to reach its own conclusion outside the MRP's parameters, the jury of Wayne Henwood, Richard Loveridge and Emmett Dunne took 17 minutes to decide he didn't have a case to answer.
The point of contention was whether Ballantyne was contesting the ball when he bumped Jaensch during the fourth quarter of Sunday's match at Patersons Stadium, causing a head clash.
Ballantyne, who appeared via video link from Perth, said he considered the act of laying body on Jaensch to be contesting the ball.
He told the jury: "He was going to lead me to the ball and he would have taken possession … the aim is to get to the ball first and win possession."
The jury agreed, dismissing his case on the basis that he was "contesting the ball and did not have a realistic alternative way to contest the ball."
AFL legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC mounted the case that Ballantyne's bump fell outside the parameters of contesting the ball.
Ballantyne's advocate Nick Tweedie SC, who attended in Melbourne, used a marking contest to explain how contesting the ball can extend beyond the final moments when the ball is won.
He said body contact between opponents in the build up should be considered contesting the ball within reason.
"Ballantyne's prime objective here is to win the football … the only way he could ensure that would be done was if he bumped Jaensch off the line and restored himself to the pole position," Tweedie said.
Under the MRP's guidelines, Ballantyne would likely have been handed a level three rough conduct charge, drawing 325 demerit points.
The offence would have been graded negligent conduct, high contact and high impact, with a medical report from the Crows showing Jaensch has required ongoing treatment and could miss Saturday night's clash against North Melbourne.
Already weighed down with 87.5 carryover points, Ballantyne would have been offered a three-match ban with an early guilty plea.
The 26-year-old, who was the third player referred direct to the Tribunal this season, has been found guilty six times in the past three seasons, missing a total of five matches because of suspension.
He was suspended for one match earlier this season and handed 87.5 carryover points for two separate incidents against the Sydney Swans in round five.
Following the verdict, Ballantyne said: "My intention was always the ball. I got a very fair hearing so I was very happy with the result.
"I didn't really know what to expect. I got a fair trial and I'm really happy to be playing this Saturday."
Ballantyne said the MRP's charge would not change his approach to bumping.
"Not really. You've just got to be careful the way you do it and always make the ball you're priority."
