After over two hours of evidence and over 75 minutes of deliberation, Toby Greene's appeal of his one-match ban has been dismissed, meaning he will miss one week.

Greene was originally offered a two-match suspension if he took an early guilty plea for an elbow to the throat of Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield, who was taken to hospital, but will be able to play this weekend after being discharged on Saturday evening.

The Giants' forward had the impact level downgraded to medium at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night, but couldn't overturn the ban completely, electing to appeal the decision.

Greene's defence centred around the fact Dangerfield's right foot slid between Greene gathering the ball and the impact, meaning the impact would have been in a different spot. The total time was only .12 of a second, giving Greene little time to react.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 17: Patrick Dangerfield of the Cats kicks during the round 22 AFL match between the Brisbane Lions and the Geelong Cats at The Gabba on August 17, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Represented by Adrian Anderson, Greene's defence then focused on the fact the tribunal used the "wrong test to determine careless contact." While the tribunal said Greene "chose to use an elbow", Anderson said the definition of careless conduct is based on the duty of care from one player to another, and that the jury had failed to apply the test properly.

Anderson also mentioned that the contact wasn't careless simply because it was high.

The AFL's counsel, Jeff Gleeson, said that in Greene's case, raising an elbow, there was always a realistic chance of causing harm.

Greene was desperate to free himself for the Giants' crunch clash with the Richmond Tigers on Friday evening, a match which will likely be the end of the road for the loser.

With both teams at the edge of the top eight and plenty of teams in a logjam all set to fight for the final position in the top eight, it's non-negotiable for both the Tigers and Giants.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: (L-R) Tim Taranto, Jake Riccardi, Brent Daniels and Xavier O'Halloran of the Giants celebrate during the 2021 AFL Round 04 match between the Collingwood Magpies and the GWS Giants at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 10, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Win, or it's just about curtains for both sides, although they do face far easier games in the final week, with the Giants to play Carlton, and Richmond coming up against Hawthorn.

With just two points separating the teams however, it's crunch time.

Teams will be confirmed for this week at 6:20pm (AEST). Zero Hanger will have them as they drop.