Reigning Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes will play against the Kangaroos this Saturday night but is ineligible to win the award for a third time following his AFL tribunal hearing.

Goodes pleaded guilty to striking during the weekend's match against Melbourne, having succeeded in getting the charge downgraded from charging.

He was facing a one-game suspension if that offence applied.

His guilty plea and his previously faultless record meant once the offence became striking, he could escape with a reprimand and 70.31 carry-over points.

But the base points for the strike were 125 - they were 225 for charging - and any offence worth more than 100 base points makes a player ineligible for the Brownlow.

Meanwhile, Port Adelaide midfielder Shaun Burgoyne remains eligible for the Brownlow, the game's highest individual award, when the tribunal found him not guilty of rough conduct against St Kilda onballer Lenny Hayes.

Burgoyne is one of the early-season favourites for the award.

In the other case, Collingwood midfielder Dale Thomas was found not guilty of striking Essendon utility Paddy Ryder.

While Goodes had a win with the downgrading of the charge, he was clearly embarrassed about the incident that brought him before a tribunal at any level for the first time in his glittering football career.

"I'm glad to be playing this week, it was a stupid incident, which probably won't happen again, that's for sure - but I'm very grateful to be playing against the Kangaroos," he said after the hearing.

Goodes has had a slow start to the season by his high standards and Melbourne opponent Simon Godfrey had just beaten him to the ball on Saturday night when he lashed out.

Goodes collected Godfrey in the lower back with his forearm and elbow, sending the Demon to the ground.

Tribunal counsel Will Houghton QC tried to argue the blow satisfied the definition of a charge.

But the three-man jury of Emmett Dunne, Richard Loveridge and Wayne Henwood took barely a minute to accept the argument from Goodes' advocate, Terry Forrest QC, that they should reclassify it to a strike.

Earlier, Burgoyne successfully argued that he made no substantial contact with Hayes' neck and head when he fell across the Saints star on Friday night at AAMI Stadium.

Burgoyne would have faced a three-match suspension if the tribunal ruled against him.

At the start of his evidence, Burgoyne said the lure of his first Brownlow medal was one of the reasons that he would never intentionally commit a reportable offence.

"I am to play all 22 games (this season), I'm a contender for the Brownlow Medal, I use that as a motivating force on the weekend," he said.

"I do nothing stupid to put any of that in jeopardy."

Hayes hurt his neck in the incident, but Burgoyne's counsel Mark Griffin SC suggested that happened when he hit the ground.

The jury only took a few minutes to rule in Burgoyne's favour and they needed barely 10 seconds to find Thomas not guilty as well.

The young Magpie received invaluable help from the evidence of field umpire Michael Vozzo, who had a clear view of the incident and said he thought it was accidental.

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