The AFL's match review officer has handed down a one-match suspension to North Melbourne Kangaroos defender Ben McKay.

The charge, for a hit on veteran Cats player Rhys Stanley, was handed down on Monday evening.

In summarising the fourth quarter incident, the AFL determined he had engaged with rough conduct, with a one-match suspension offered if he takes an early guilty plea.

The incident was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact, high contact, with McKay now having the option of taking the early guilty plea or fighting the charge at the judiciary during the week.

Should he elect to take the early guilty plea, McKay will miss next week's clash with the Carlton Blues - and yet again a chance to play his brother Harry. It would become the seventh straight year the pair have failed to meet in an AFL game.

McKay, who has played 42 games for the Kangaroos since making his debut in 2017, has made a solid start to the season despite playing in a well-beaten North Melbourne team who are sitting at the bottom of the table with just a single victory from the first six weeks.