St Kilda will be without Ben Long for Friday night’s semi-final against Richmond after the defender failed to have his one-match suspension for rough conduct overturned at the AFL tribunal.

Long was slapped with a one-match ban after crunching Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae in the first quarter of St Kilda’s elimination final win at the Gabba on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Long pleaded guilty to rough conduct but attempted to have the charge downgraded from “medium” to “low” impact, which would have reduced the sanction to a fine.

AFL match review officer Michael Christian had initially assessed the hit as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

In upholding the “medium” impact grading, the tribunal jury of Richard Loveridge, David Neitz and Paul Williams noted Macrae’s head “snaps back on contact” from Long’s shoulder, which indicated “clearly more than a glancing contact”, while they were surprised the Bulldog had “got up as readily as he did.”

St Kilda’s legal counsel Jack Rush QC had pointed to the Bulldogs’ medical report which said Macrae had not been required to leave the field, there was no need for further investigation or ongoing treatment and he would not have missed any training sessions or matches as a result.

But the AFL’s legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC emphasised Long’s momentum and the force behind the bump, rather than the end result.

Long’s ban means the Saints will have to make a third forced change to their team to face the Tigers.

Star ruckman Paddy Ryder has returned to Melbourne after suffering a season-ending hamstring tendon injury while Jake Carlisle left their Queensland hub to be with his partner ahead of the birth of their third child.

The ban is Long’s second this season after he previously received a three-match ban for a careless bump which left Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy concussed in round six.