Shane McAdam's three-match suspension at the AFL tribunal will stand following the Crows' unsuccessful appeal to overturn the decision on Thursday.

Counsel assisting Adelaide and McAdam fronted the league's tribunal appeals board after 27-year-old was handed the lengthy ban for his bump on GWS's Jacob Wehr in Sydney in round one.

Jacob Wehr has been helped from the ground following this incident.#AFLGiantsCrows pic.twitter.com/RBSwwK1mk8

— AFL (@AFL) March 19, 2023

According to AFL.com, their arguments closely resembled those presented at the tribunal on Tuesday.

The collision's 'severe impact' grading was contested on the grounds of first point of contact and that the league's match review office had wrongly favoured a potential to cause injury over the incident as it happened.

The judgement was labelled an "error in law" and "manifestly excessive" by the Crows' legal representatives with Tom Duggan KC asserting biomechanical evidence showing initial impact to Wehr's chest given to the tribunal had been wrongly dismissed.

"We say the effect of that was to reimagine the incident in a way that was impermissible," Duggan said.

"It's an error of law because all you were doing was looking at one matter of four, as if it was the determinant factor … and you've applied that to take it from 'low' to 'severe' (impact).

"This was a bump to the chest and the arm and all of a sudden it's being charged as a head incident … and being elevated to something that it's not. You're changing the character of the incident.

"Something has gone terribly wrong in this case, and this has been wrongly categorised."

Their case was ultimately unsuccessful with the sanction upheld after more than two hours of evidence and deliberation.

"In our view the Tribunal committed no error of law in concluding that the classification of impact was severe," tribunal chair Max Kellam said.

"The potential for injury is clearly a significant matter … the first principle in the listed guidelines is to prioritise the health and safety of players.

"There is no limitation on how much weight should be placed on any of the relevant considerations. It was open to the Tribunal to place great weight (on potential for injury) in our view."

McAdam will be available for selection for the Crows' round five clash with Carlton on Thursday, April 13.