PORT ADELAIDE midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper is free to face Sydney on Saturday after successfully challenging a one-game suspension at the AFL tribunal.

Powell-Pepper was charged with engaging in rough conduct for a tackle he applied to Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy during the last quarter of Port’s win over the Hawks on Saturday evening.

On the available evidence the incident was assessed as careless with high contact and medium impact.

Powell-Pepper was offered a one-match sanction with an early plea but the club elected to contest the charge at the tribunal on Tuesday evening and was successful.

“It was a fair hearing. I’m happy with the result,” Powell-Pepper said after the not guilty verdict was delivered.

“I’d like to thank the club for supporting me and everyone involved.

“I’m now looking forward to a big game against the Swans this week.”

During the hearing, Ben Krupka, acting for Powell-Pepper said the tackle was “fair and reasonable in the circumstances” and did not constitute a sling tackle.

He said the tackle was not technically dangerous and was not carried out with excessive force – only the force required to bring down McEvoy, who was a large and strong man.

He also argued the action did not amount to rough conduct because McEvoy had in fact turned away from the tackle.

The hearing was told that the medical report from the Hawthorn doctor showed no injury to McEvoy and no requirement for further treatment.

Giving evidence, Powell-Pepper said he had lost balance when McEvoy tried to shrug his tackle.

“It happened pretty instant, in a split second I guess,” he said.

“I went to tackle him. He shrugged me and got his arms free so I lost balance and my only choice was to bring him down.

“He just turned away from me, got his arms free.

“His bottom hit the ground first. As soon as I tackled him, I got up and went to the next contest.”

Powell-Pepper said no Hawthorn players remonstrated with him and no free kick was paid by the umpire.

AFL Counsel Trevor Gleeson submitted that the tackle was dangerous because McEvoy was in a vulnerable position because he was being rotated in the tackle and was falling backwards.

He said Powell-Pepper had a duty of care to McEvoy and should have release the tackle sooner, failing to take sufficient regard to his safety.

“I don’t say that Powell-Pepper commenced the tackle improperly or the centre part of the tackle was improper,” Mr Gleeson said.

“He grabbed him around the waist... the problem with the tackle is how it ended up.”

He argued that the tackle was robust and was sufficient to meet the criteria for a dangerous tackle with medium impact.

But Mr Krupka said there was no way McEvoy could be classified as vulnerable.

“Powell-Pepper did nothing wrong. The arms are clearly not pinned,” he explained.

“McEvoy tried to shrug off his tackle by trying to turn away from him.

“He was not propelled towards the ground head first… he was propelled towards the ground bum first.”

He said McEvoy had seen Powell-Pepper approaching when he took the ball and moved towards him expecting the tackle.

“There is nothing wrong with the technique, especially when you add in that McEvoy turns away in order to shrug the tackle,” Mr Krupka continued. “It is not Powell-Pepper’s force that does that, he does it deliberately to get his arms free.

“It is unreasonable not to expect a tackle when you get the ball. He leans into the tackle, then turns away from it.

“There is no way McEvoy can be listed as vulnerable in the circumstances.

“It is clear that the arm is wrenched free pretty early in the tackle.

“You might ask why this wasn’t holding the ball, and the answer is probably because this happened so quickly.”

He acknowledged players had a duty of care when applying a tackle but there was no excessive force and it was unrealistic and unreasonable in the circumstances for Powell-Pepper to have lessened his force mid-tackle.

After deliberating to consider their verdict, Tribunal Chairman David Jones said the jury of Stewart Loewe, Richard Loveridge and Jason Johnson were not satisfied beyond balance of probabilities that Powell-Pepper’s conduct was unreasonable and he was found not guilty of the charge of rough conduct.

It means Powell-Pepper is free to face Sydney at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon from 1:15pm.