Hawthorn defender James Sicily has been offered a one-match ban for kneeing Geelong skipper Joel Selwood.

The incident occurred in the final term of the Hawks’ thrilling one-point win on Easter Monday and was assessed as intentional conduct with low impact to the head.

Television footage of the incident shows Sicily tackling Selwood to the ground then dropping his left knee into the Cats star’s head.

Selwood later admitted he wasn’t happy with the treatment at the time.

He exchanged words with Sicily after the final siren at the MCG but the pair then shook hands.

Hawthorn vice-captain Isaac Smith spoke to reporters before the match review findings were announced on Tuesday and backed Sicily’s passionate approach to the game.

“Sis plays with a lot of passion … arguably Hawthorn’s best captain ever (Luke) Hodge played with a fair bit of passion as well,” Smith said.

“It’s a game that you’ve got to play close to the line and sometimes blokes will step over it and sometimes they won’t.

“I think the fans love seeing passion, aggression and spirit out on the field.

“Whatever happens happens but we’re confident that the 22 we put out next week will be fine.”

The Hawks face reigning premiers Richmond at the MCG on Sunday, with the Tigers coming off a loss to Adelaide.

Hawthorn pair Daniel Howe and Kaiden Brand and Geelong’s James Parsons can accept fines for their respective misdemeanours during the pulsating contest.

After finishing outside the finals last season, Alastair Clarkson’s undefeated Hawks sit in fourth place after two rounds.

“The vibe is always better when you’re winning … we started last year really slowly and it was an uphill battle to make finals,” Smith said.

“We’ve started well and now we’ve just got to keep going and build on that.”