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Geelong veteran Shaun Higgins has been deemed to have been staging when grabbing at his face after being tackled by a Dockers defender last week.

Geelong veteran Shaun Higgins wants to prove he's not a stager, with the 33-year-old electing to fight the charge through a written submission to the AFL Tribunal.

Higgins grabbed at his face after being slammed onto his back in a strong tackle by Fremantle defender Luke Ryan in the Cats' 69-point win last week.

No free kick was paid for the incident, and Higgins was later offered a $1000 fine by the AFL's match review officer for staging.

Higgins' face was not touched in the tackle and his actions were deemed to be an excessive contact exaggeration.

The former Kangaroos star has elected to contest the charge, and his fine will rise to $1500 if he's unsuccessful.

The AFL Tribunal will hand down it's decision on Wednesday.