The Swans have successfully had the charge against Adam Goodes downgraded from charging to striking making him available to play on Saturday night but ineligible for his third Brownlow in 2007.

The reigning Brownlow Medallist then pleaded guilty and took the early plea after facing a one-match ban.

His guilty plea and previously faultless record meant once the offence became striking, he could escape with a reprimand and 70.31 carry-over points.

But the base points for the strike were 125 - they were 225 for charging - and any offence worth more than 100 base points makes a player ineligible for the Brownlow.

He is now free to play the Kangaroos this weekend - his 174th consecutive game .

While Goodes had a win with the downgrading of the charge, he was clearly embarrassed about the incident that brought him before a tribunal at any level for the first time in his glittering football career.

"I'm glad to be playing this week, it was a stupid incident, which probably won't happen again, that's for sure - but I'm very grateful to be playing against the Kangaroos," he said after the hearing.

Goodes has had a slow start to the season by his high standards and Melbourne opponent Simon Godfrey had just beaten him to the ball on when he lashed out.

Goodes collected Godfrey in the lower back with his forearm and elbow, sending the Demon to the ground.

Tribunal counsel Will Houghton QC tried to argue the blow satisfied the definition of a charge.

But the three-man jury of Emmett Dunne, Richard Loveridge and Wayne Henwood took barely a minute to accept the argument from Goodes' advocate, Terry Forrest QC, that they should reclassify it to a strike.

Coach Paul Roos did not feel Goodes’ strike on Godfrey had anything to do with frustration.

“I think during the game there always seems to be bumping and knocking and things like that,” Roos said on Wednesday.

“I think it happens in every game, every player, so I certainly don't think it's isolated to Adam. You know if you watched the eight games at the weekend you're going to see it in probably just about every game and probably two or three players in each side.

“I don't think it's frustration, I think when you're starting to be seen as a very, very good player the opposition plays players very closely on you, so you know, it happens everywhere.”

Despite talk about Goodes being down on form in the opening five weeks, Roos believes he is still playing the team game.

“I think he's happy with us winning on the weekend as he's always got a team-first approach,” Roos said.

“Because he's a dual Brownlow Medallist people tend to put more pressure on those sorts of guys as they get more accolades and more awards and things like that.

“Certainly the expectations externally and internally can get vary substantially when you got guys like that.

“We think he can play better, clearly, but we're not unhappy with the way he played on the weekend, the role he played, given that his shoulder was reasonably sore after half-time.

“He's always had that ability to play a team role which is probably what's made him a really valuable player for us despite the fact that he's won two Brownlows.”