Slamming opponents' heads into the turf in tackles is a clear no-go zone in the AFL after Geelong's Darren Milburn was slapped with a four-game suspension by the league's match review panel.

Milburn's heavy tackle on Richmond's Shane Edwards, in which he pinned the Tiger's arms and drove him into the Telstra Dome turf last Saturday night after the ball spilled free, earned one of the heftiest bans of the season, although the Cat can halve the penalty with a guilty plea.

However the practice murked into grey area, as a similar tackle laid by Port Adelaide's Jacob Surjan, on St Kilda's Robert Harvey on Sunday, was given the all-clear despite the veteran Saint needing assistance to leave the ground.

Edwards needed assistance after being crunched, and the panel assessed Milburn's tackle as reckless, of high contact and high impact, which drew seven activation points and 425 demerit points.

The All-Australian backman, one of the stars of the Cats' premiership win last season, has a good record over the past five years which reduces the penalty by 25 per cent, and a guilty plea would drop the sanction by a further 25 per cent, to two games.

Geelong have until Tuesday to inform the AFL whether they accept the penalty or want to challenge it at the tribunal on Tuesday night.

Surjan's tackle on Harvey was assessed by the panel, but it ruled that the Port player's tackle was legitimate because he slung the Saint while he was kicking the ball.

"Given there was one action in the tackle and that Harvey had possession of the ball for most of the tackle, it was deemed a legal tackle and not a reportable offence," the panel said in a statement.

AFL officials could not comment on the incidents because Milburn had been reported, and could yet appear before the tribunal.

Carlton are also considering challenging a four-match ban imposed on young midfielder Steven Browne, who was reported for engaging in rough conduct against Adelaide's Jason Porplyzia at AAMI Stadium last Saturday.

Porplyzia suffered bruising to a small area of his brain after he bounced off Carlton's Bret Thornton and into the path of Browne, and the contact again popped out the Crow's loose shoulder.

The panel assessed Browne's contact as negligent conduct, severe impact and high contact, which drew seven activation points and 425 demerit points.

Carlton can reduce that to three games with a guilty plea.

Fremantle bad boy Jeff Farmer was charged with a level-two striking offence against West Coast's Mark Nicoski at Subiaco Oval on Sunday, and his poor record - 19 games suspended from 15 reports - means he cannot reduce the penalty under a one-game suspension.

Farmer's strike would normally incur a reprimand, but his bad record inflated his demerit points tally from 125 to 187.50.

A guilty plea would reduce that to 140.63 points, still over the one-match threshold.

Carlton's Simon Wiggins and Adelaide's Ivan Maric were both charged with wrestling each other.

They can pay $900 fines.

Sydney forward Barry Hall also escaped penalty, after his high contact on the Western Bulldogs' Lindsay Gilbee, in Canberra was deemed a push with an open left hand and not a strike.

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