Collingwood defender Nathan Brown was cleared from making front on contact to a Williamstown player by the VFL tribunal on Tuesday night at the MCG.

Brown was reported in Saturday’s VFL loss to Williamstown late in the third term.

Due to the VFL’s rule which does not permit an accredited legal representative to argue a case on behalf of a club at the tribunal, Collingwood was forced to rely on VFL Manager Paul Licuria to serve as Brown’s defence council.

The two-time Copeland Trophy winner argued that the umpire was not in a position to determine if the contact Brown made to his opponent was to the head.

“I was trying to prove that the umpire didn’t have clear vision of the incident and that the initial point of contact was with Ben Jolley’s shoulder (Williamstown player) and not his head”, Licuria told Collingwoodfc.com.au.

On a separate charge from Saturday’s match, rookie-listed ruckman Lachlan Keeffe accepted a one-match ban for striking.