Carlton has a rare reason to celebrate, with veteran defender Andrew McKay and key forward Brendon Fevola cleared by the AFL tribunal.

Both will be available to take on Richmond this weekend, with the Tigers hoping leading goalkicker Fevola would have been suspended given the loss of key defender Darren Gaspar to injury.

McKay was reported for striking Geelong's Peter Riccardi in a late spoiling attempt.

He swung a round-arm from behind his opponent but while the umpire claimed there was contact to Riccardi's head, McKay said it was to the shoulder.

Riccardi went to ground heavily but said it was hitting his head on the thigh of Carlton's Jarrod Waite on the way down that was the main cause of his distress.

"I always felt I was in the contest, the ball did pop up a little bit to give me time to get to the contest," McKay said.

"There is absolutely no contact whatsoever to the side of the head."

In his 256-game career McKay's only previous visits to the tribunal were for one wrestling charge and one of disputing a decision nine years ago.

Fevola was reported for charging Geelong ruckman Steven King, with the top Cat spending the rest of the quarter off the ground getting three stitches to a cut brow.

An errant centre bounce forced King to backtrack to make a tap, with Fevola charging off the edge of the centre square, leaping in the air to make the contest and crashing into King.

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