ST KILDA will head to the Tribunal to challenge Dan Butler's one-game suspension for his tackle on Sydney defender Nick Blakey last Thursday night.

Butler was handed the sanction by the Match Review Officer after the rough conduct charge was graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

Blakey was substituted out of the game shortly after the crunching, mow down tackle at the SCG.

The 23-year-old, who signed a seven-year contract extension last Monday, was cleared of concussion post-game after undergoing a head injury assessment on the interchange bench.

Sydney coach John Longmire revealed in his press conference after the 14-point loss that the decision to remove Blakey was partly due to the toe injury he carried into the game and the desire not to wait 15 minutes before he was cleared, given the state of the game.

The AFL has tightened its interpretation of head high contact this year, resulting in suspensions for bumps and tackles that didn't attract MRO scrutiny in the past.

Hawthorn captain James Sicily was referred directly to the Tribunal on Sunday night for a dangerous tackle on Brisbane midfielder Hugh McCluggage in Saturday's win at the MCG.

The defender is the 23rd player to be cited for rough conduct for a dangerous tackle in 2023, with only two players – Rory Laird and Adam Cerra – being cleared by the Tribunal.

Richmond's Rhyan Mansell will also front the Tribunal on Tuesday night for a bump that left Fremantle wingman James Aish with a concussion.