Richmond superstar Dustin Martin will miss just one AFL game after having his striking charge downgraded by the AFL tribunal.
The ever-reticent Martin didn't give evidence during Tuesday night's hearing but his lawyers successfully argued his off-ball forearm to the head of GWS opponent Adam Kennedy should have been classified as low impact, rather than medium.
Martin, who declined to comment on the verdict, will miss this week's clash with Port Adelaide but is free to face Sydney in round five.
"He still gets a week, which is a bit sad, but it was a good hearing and they listened to us," Tigers' football boss Neil Balme told reporters.
With captain Trent Cotchin sidelined because of a hamstring injury, Saturday's away game against the Power will be the Tigers' first without any of their top four players since Martin made his AFL debut at the start of 2010.
Alex Rance is out for the season with a knee reconstruction and Jack Riewoldt is recovering from a wrist injury.
Martin was checked closely throughout Richmond's loss to the Giants by GWS tagger Matt de Boer, and Richmond coach Damien Hardwick later suggested his star midfielder had been provoked by the endless attention.
The three-member tribunal jury deliberated for 15 minutes before ruling in favour of downgrading Martin's strike on Kennedy, who played out the remainder of the game and required no immediate or ongoing medical treatment.
Kennedy gave evidence at Tuesday night's hearing, saying he had moved into Martin's path "just to be a little bit of a nuisance" and describing the hit from Martin - which initially made contact with his shoulder - as "a good knock".
AFL legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC argued the incident deserved to be classified as medium impact because it had the potential to cause more serious injury.
"There was the potential for concussion, there was the potential for damage to the jaw ... for damage to the temple," he told the jury.
But Martin's lawyer Michael Tovey QC successfully argued the incident should be judged on its outcomes.
"There was nothing special about this ... the nature of the impact was nothing like what you would expect to cause serious injury," Tovey said.
Martin, who also accepted a $1500 fine for striking de Boer, was the only player suspended from round three. Port Adelaide duo Scott Lycett and Zak Butters and Fremantle key forward Jesse Hogan all accepted $2000 fines.
