GEELONG champion Gary Ablett will challenge the first suspension of his illustrious career, after the Match Review Officer Michael Christian offered him a one-match ban on Monday for his clumsy forearm to the head of Dylan Shiel.

Geelong has confirmed it will head to the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Ablett left the ground as he collided with Shiel, attempting to brace for contact with an outstretched arm and catching the star Essendon midfielder in the side of the face.

The incident was graded by the Match Review Officer as intentional conduct with low impact to the head, equating to a one-game suspension.

If Geelong's challenge fails, Ablett will miss next Sunday's clash with North Melbourne.

"The first consideration is conduct," Christian told AFL.com.au.

"The guidelines talk about the fact that a raised forearm is usually consistent that a strike is intentional. You can see Gary jumping off the ground and making contact with his forearm.

"What we do need to establish is that there's head high contact and sufficient force in the hit to the head. That's what we were able to establish considering all of the evidence."

The collision drew comparisons to last week's incident involving James Cousins and Sam Petrevski-Seton, which led to the Hawthorn midfielder being slapped with a one-game ban.

Cousins didn't elect to challenge the suspension at the AFL Tribunal.