NORTH Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey will miss the first six rounds next season after the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night upheld two striking charges from the elimination final loss to West Coast.

Harvey could have accepted a four-match ban from the Match Review Panel if he had entered early guilty pleas to striking offences against Eagles Daniel Kerr and Adam Selwood.

PRESS PLAY above to watch the incident | YouTube

But in challenging the MRP's findings Harvey risked and, ultimately, received an extra two weeks on the sidelines.

The 34-year-old recently re-signed to play on next year and his form this year in his 17th AFL season had some commentators asking whether he could become the third player to reach the 400-game mark.

That now seems a pipedream given the 346-game veteran won't get to add to his games total until round seven next year.

After the hearing Harvey told reporters: "[Missing] six weeks of football at any time of your career is absolutely devastating."

"I'm absolutely shattered I'll be missing six games of football for out football club."

The Kerr charge arose from an incident near three-quarter time in last Sunday's game when Harvey appeared to strike Kerr high with his elbow. Kerr fell to the ground momentarily but was soon back on his feet and played out the game.

The MRP assessed Harvey's conduct as intentional, medium impact and involving high contact and, given he had 93.75 carryover points, offered him a three-match suspension for an early plea.

At the Tribunal, Harvey pleaded guilty to striking Kerr but sought to have the charge downgraded from intentional to reckless.

Harvey gave evidence that after he had blocked Kerr to clear a path for his teammate Daniel Wells Kerr had struck him in the right ribs. Harvey said he then went to push Kerr in the chest with an open left hand, with his primary objection to impede him.

However, the Tribunal was ultimately swayed by AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson SC's submission that Harvey's blow on Kerr had involved a deliberate striking action - a sharp swing of his left arm back towards Kerr.

The Selwood striking charge arose from an incident in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game, after which the Eagle was forced to leave the ground under the blood rule.

The MRP assessed Harvey's conduct as reckless, medium impact and involving high contact, and offered him a one-match suspension for an early plea.

At the Tribunal, sections of an AFL investigator's report were tabled, in which Selwood said he been grappling with Harvey when he felt a forceful blow to the head. However, Selwood said he hadn't seen Harvey throw a punch and he hadn't be headbutted.

A report from West Coast physio Paul Tucker said Selwood had received two lacerations in the incident - one to the bridge of his nose, the other to his forehead - which had required sutures after the game.

Harvey's counsel, Will Houghton QC, argued Selwood's injuries were consistent with a push and, equally, could have been caused by accidental contact in the Eagles' wrestle with Harvey.

Harvey testified he did not know how Selwood's injuries had been caused and stressed he had not punched, headbutted or jumper-punched him.

However, the AFL Tribunal accepted Gleeson's submission that the most likely inference that could be drawn was Selwood's injuries were caused by contact with Harvey's wrists and forearms in their scuffle, which was enough to constitute a reckless strike.

Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick