Toby Greene will not play for Greater Western Sydney in Saturday's preliminary final against Collingwood after the AFL appeals board upheld his one-match suspension.
Greene appeared at a marathon hearing in Melbourne this evening, having been suspended for a charge of making unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the eye region of Brisbane's Lachie Neale in last Saturday night's semi-final at the Gabba.
The Giants' legal team were unsuccessful in arguing the tribunal decision to uphold the ban on Tuesday was unreasonable and the classification of the offence excessive.
"I'm bitterly disappointed," Greene told reporters after the hearing.
"We thought we had a strong case, but I'm looking forward to Saturday and supporting my teammates."
Giants chief executive Dave Matthews said the decision was a blow to the club two days out from the preliminary final.
"As disappointed as we are, we won't do anything further," he said.
"We've put forward two very good arguments this week. We obviously felt that the evidence was all in Toby's favour and we're stunned, as a lot of people would be, by the decision tonight.
"But, in the end, that's where we'll leave it. We've got Saturday to focus on and we'll now move on."
Greene will only be available to play again this season if the Giants qualify for the grand final.
His place in the Giants' squad to face the Magpies at the MCG has been taken by Lachie Keeffe.
