Ben Cunnington has been successful in his challenge to overturn a one-match ban, making him available to take on Geelong on Sunday.

The AFL's counsel downgraded the impact of Cunnington's contact with Crows' midfielder Rory Laird to 'low' during a 60-minute hearing on Tuesday night. 

"We went in tonight really confident with our case to reduce the impact down from medium to low," GM of Football Brady Rawlings told North Media. 

"Thankfully the panel saw it the same way, so we went in confident and got the result we were after."

00:11

Ben Cunnington cops one-match ban (Round 4, 2021)

The incident which saw Ben Cunnington banned for a week.

After an initial one-match sanction, the Roos' number 10 left the Tribunal with just a $2,000 fine. 

It means he'll be ready to take on the Cats in round five.

"It's very important (to have Cunnington available). He's one of our all-time great players and adds so much experience to that midfield group, especially against such an experienced team in Geelong.

"He's really happy and can't wait to get out there on the weekend."

The Match Review Panel's original findings were as follows: 
Ben Cunnington, North Melbourne, has been charged with Engaging in Rough Conduct against Rory Laird, Adelaide Crows, during the second quarter of the Round Four match between North Melbourne and the Adelaide Crows, played at Marvel Stadium on Sunday April 11.

In summary, he can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.

Based on the available evidence, the incident was assessed as Careless Conduct, Medium Impact and High Contact. The incident was classified as a one-match sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a one-match sanction with an early plea.