CARLTON star Charlie Curnow is free to play this weekend after he was found not guilty of intentionally striking Gold Coast defender Steven May by the AFL Tribunal.

Curnow successfully argued that his strike on May was careless, but not intentional, with the Tribunal ruling him eligible to take on GWS this Sunday.

Curnow caught May with a stray forearm to the jaw, with the incident graded by Match Review Officer Michael Christian as intentional conduct with low impact to the head.

However, the 21-year-old pleaded not guilty to intentional conduct, but guilty to careless conduct in an attempt to downgrade his one-match suspension to a $2000 fine.

Curnow said he was attempting to put pressure on May's kick and was aiming for his left shoulder, but was pushed off-balance by Gold Coast defender Rory Thompson.

While the youngster agreed that his forearm was raised before being pushed by Thompson, he said his arm was closer to being straight than bent as he made contact with May.

The AFL's legal counsel Nick Pane QC argued the height of Curnow's forearm, the lateness of the strike and the minimal impact of Thompson's push indicated an intentional strike.

However, the Tribunal deliberated for 14 minutes before agreeing that they were not satisfied Curnow's strike was intentional, downgrading his penalty to a $2000 fine.

"I respect the decision made this evening by the Tribunal and thank them for the outcome … I look forward to (playing) GWS this weekend," Curnow said afterwards.