Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd will miss this weekend’s blockbuster clash with Geelong after the AFL tribunal tonight upheld his one-match penalty for charging. It is a devastating blow for Lloyd and his team and he will now miss the 250^th game of his former captain and friend James Hird.

Lloyd clashed with Melbourne’s Nathan Carroll on the three-quarter time siren of last weekend’s match after the Demons’ full back had collected him after he missed a shot for goal.

Essendon Legal Affairs Manager Dom Cato said he was disappointed with the finding of the tribunal after arguing that Lloyd’s conduct did not constitute a charge.

""We argued Matthew’s conduct amounted to a strike and not a charge -  he pleaded guilty to a strike and had that argument been accepted he would have been able to play this weekend,"" Cato said.

""We felt the primary action was him making contact with his forearm and elbow to the back of Carroll in a striking action as opposed to the hip and shoulder action that is generally accepted as a charge.""

Reporting umpire Stefan Grun gave evidence that Lloyd had cannoned into Carroll with his shoulder – evidence the tribunal accepted in upholding the one-week suspension.

Essendon’s Andrew Welsh didn’t have any luck in his appeal either, having his reprimand upheld for making forceful front on contact with Melbourne's Brad Green.

""We argued with Welsh that there was high contact of low impact but that he wasn’t negligent because he was contesting the ball and he didn’t have a realistic alternative to contest it in another manner,"" Cato said. ""Obviously the tribunal felt he did have an alternative.""