The AFL's bumping issue was highlighted again at the tribunal as Adelaide wingman Brett Burton escaped with a reprimand.

Burton pleaded guilty to his rough conduct charge, but successfully argued it should be downgraded from a reckless to a negligent act.

That substantially reduced the number of penalty points and he then received more discounts for a good record and the guilty plea.

He was facing a one-match ban if the three-man tribunal panel ruled his bump on Richmond's Chris Hyde last Saturday night was reckless, but the downgrading freed him for the round 14 home match on July 3 against Fremantle.

"It was a good result - it's interesting, that argument of reckless and negligent is always a fine line," Crows football manager John Reid said after the hearing.

"I've been over to have a look at the tribunal previously and I just feel that this system has a lot more merit.

"The players feel more comfortable in (there).

"Even if we hadn't won tonight, we certainly felt we had a particularly good hearing ... from that perspective, I think it has a lot more going for it."

Video footage of the incident showed Hyde running for the ball, with Burton coming at him from the side.

The ball bounced awkwardly and Hyde was forced to quickly change direction.

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