North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri's three-match suspension has been upheld at Tuesday night's AFL Tribunal.

Xerri was handed the ban for an incident during Sunday's Round 18 match against Melbourne involving midfielder Tom Sparrow.

The Match Review Officer charged Xerri with striking, grading the incident as careless conduct, severe impact and high contact.

At Tuesday night's Tribunal, the club argued Xerri's action was not careless, and reasonable in the circumstances. 

The Tribunal disagreed, returning after a deliberation to uphold the three-match ban. 

Xerri will now be unavailable for selection for the club's next three games, including Saturday's match against Sydney at the SCG.