Matthew Carr's decision to contest a $3200 fine for making contact with an umpire has paid off with the AFL Tribunal finding the Fremantle midfielder not guilty.

The AFL's match review panel had assessed Carr's contact with field umpire Kieron Nicholls during the third quarter of last Saturday night's Fremantle-Adelaide clash at Subiaco as negligent.

However, Carr pleaded not guilty to the charge because he said he simply hadn't seen umpire Nicholls before contact was made.

In fact, the 27-year-old told the tribunal he was not even aware he had collided with an umpire until 15 seconds after the incident because he was heading towards a teammate in possession of the ball.

Carr acknowledged, however, that he had made contact with someone on the field.

"He just backed into my space very quickly and I didn't see him at," said Carr, describing the contact as 'minimal to soft'.

"There wasn't a whole lot of force behind my movement."

By making an early guilty plea and accepting the panel's classification, Carr would have been entitled to a 25 per cent discount and a $2400 fine.

But Carr's advocate, Bert Gaudion, told the tribunal the contact between player and umpire was simply an accident.

"The obligation is not on the player to know where the umpire is at all times," Gaudion said.

The tribunal jury - comprised of Emmett Dunne, David Pittman and Wayne Schimmelbusch - agreed that Carr's actions were not negligent and the Docker was found not guilty.