Geelong forward Steve Johnson will miss Saturday night’s AFL elimination final against Fremantle after accepting a one-match ban for rough conduct.

Because of his previous poor disciplinary record, Johnson would have been hit with a two-match suspension had he been unsuccessful in challenging the charge at the AFL Tribunal.

Geelong officials gave serious thought to challenging Johnson’s level one rough conduct charge in an incident involving Sydney’s Dan Hannebery, before deciding it was not worth the risk.

Sydney defender Heath Grundy will front the tribunal on Tuesday night to contest a striking charge against Cats forward James Podsiadly.

Grundy has little to lose, as his ban would remain at one game whether he took the early guilty plea or was unsuccessful at the tribunal.

If the penalty stands, Grundy will miss Saturday’s qualifying final against Adelaide.