St Kilda are likely to appeal Ben Long’s one-game rough conduct suspension in a bid to free the defender for Friday night’s crunch semi-final against Richmond.

The Saints have until midday Tuesday to lodge an appeal, after the AFL tribunal upheld his ban – for a high bump on Western Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae – on Monday night.

“We are disappointed for Ben and will strongly assess our options for appeal,” St Kilda chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said.

“We have until midday Tuesday to submit an appeal and it appears the likely option at this early stage.”

Long is currently set to be the Saints’ third forced change after ruckman Paddy Ryder suffered a season-ending hamstring tendon injury and defender Jake Carlisle left St Kilda’s Queensland hub to be with his partner ahead of the birth of their third child.

Long had pleaded guilty to the rough conduct charge – considered careless conduct, high contact and medium impact – but attempted to have it downgraded to low impact, which would have reduced his sanction to a fine.

Macrae played out the game after Long’s bump and the Saints leaned heavily on the Bulldogs’ medical report at the tribunal.

The report said Macrae had required immediate on-field assessment but did not need to leave the field for treatment, there was no need for further investigation or ongoing treatment and he would not have missed any training sessions or matches as a result.

The AFL’s legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC focused on Long’s momentum and the bump’s “significant, forceful impact” and its potential to cause injury,

AFter hearing an hour of arguments, then deliberating for close to half an hour, the tribunal jury of Richard Loveridge, David Neitz and Paul Williams upheld the “medium” impact grading.

The jury said vision showed Macrae’s head “snaps back on contact” from Long’s shoulder, which indicated “clearly more than a glancing contact”, and were surprised the Bulldog had “got up as readily as he did.”