Richmond has been unsuccessful in having Marlion Pickett's one-match ban downgraded. He will miss Sunday's match against Adelaide at the MCG.

Pickett fronted the Tribunal and attempted to have his strike downgraded from medium impact to low, which would have resulted in a financial sanction. 

The midfielder argued he was attempting to tackle Starcevich when he made high contact and the majority of the impact was to the top of his opponent's shoulder and armpit before sliding high.

“I am trying to tackle him and interrupt his kick … I have got my arm out to try and get him around the chest,” Pickett said. 

Starcevich’s medical report stated he did not need to be taken from the field, that he has no ongoing requirement for medical attention and that he won’t miss any training because of the incident.

“That word potential - was there capacity, realistically, for it to be worse than it was? In my submission the worst-case scenario eventuated; that potential resulted in no injury being suffered by Mr Starcevich,” Richmond counsel Sam Tovey argued.

“This wasn‘t some kind of wild swinging motion, but the movement of the arm is in a manner of someone attempting to undertake a legitimate tackle.”

AFL representative Jeff Gleeson described Pickett's action as a "round-arm swinging motion" that had the potential to cause more serious injury than had resulted. 

The jury of David Neitz, Richard Loveridge and Wayne Henwood agreed there was a risk of more serious injury and decided a meaningful portion of the contact had been made high on Starcevich and upheld the one-match suspension.