Hawthorn premiership forward Jack Gunston has defended teammate James Sicily after the fiery Hawk was given a one-match ban for kneeing.

Match review officer Michael Christian had offered Sicily the suspension on Tuesday for kneeing Geelong skipper Joel Selwood during the Hawks' thrilling one-point win on Easter Monday.

Banned: James Sicily. Credit:AAP

The club accepted the suspension on Wednesday, opting not to take the case to the tribunal.

"We love James playing on the edge ... but situations like this are never nice and James has put his hand up and owned up to what he's done," Gunston, a member of the club's leadership group, said of the 23-year-old on Fox Footy.