Related   Pickett scrutiny harsh: Yze

Melbourne veteran Adem Yze believes that Byron Pickett's reputation as a 'hard' player has led to added scrutiny of his on-field aggression in terms of delivering crunching hip and shoulders.

Speaking after Pickett was cleared of illegal contact by the match review panel on Monday for his clash with Fremantle youngster Ryan Crowley on Saturday - which resulted in the Docker suffering a broken cheekbone - Yze backed his teammate's playing style.

"It's pretty hard for him I suppose. He's got a little bit of a reputation from previous (occasions). He's a hard player and someone we really expect to be hard at the footy every week," Yze said.

"There's probably a few little incidents that are similar to what he's done, but he gets the scrutiny. I think he should just keep going at it the way he's been going and I think he knows when to bump and when not to bump these days."

"He's playing within the rules. There was nothing outside the rules that he's done and we expect him to do that. He's a hard player and I think there's other teams that know when he's around and that's going to be good for us in the end."

In a boost for the rejuvenated Dees, the panel deemed Pickett's action on Saturday was a legitimate shepherd and Crowley's injury was the result of an accidental head clash.

The former Kangaroos and Port Adelaide premiership player does not have as bad a record at the tribunal as many would think, having been suspended three times for a total of nine matches during his 182-game career.

He played 120 games before he copped his first suspension in 2002 for striking Hawthorn's Richie Vandenberg, but was twice suspended last year for unduly rough play and rubbed out for a total of eight matches.