The Pies appealed successfully to AFL Victoria Country Appeals Board on Tuesday night after Stone was banned by the O and M tribunal last week.

Stone had received a five-match penalty, three of those suspended, after he was found guilty of unbecoming conduct against AFL North East Border field umpires’ coach Shane Downie, following an incident after the Wodonga-Wangaratta match on July 29.

That hearing took around four hours, but the appeal was over in around 60 minutes.

Stone had already sat out the first week of the suspension, against Corowa-Rutherglen, last Saturday, with assistant and boom forward Michael Newton leading the club.

However, the other match, as well as the suspended sentence, were dismissed.

The Pies face Yarrawonga at the WJ Findlay Oval in Wangaratta on Saturday in their first finals appearance since 2011.

“We’ve backed him (Stone) from the outset and we’re really pleased that he can do his job this weekend,” Pies’ president Col McClounan said.

“The tribunal took into account this bloke’s been in footy since 1976 and he’s never been to a tribunal.

“One of the comments was it’s one of the better records that they’d ever seen presented to them.”

McClounan said it had been a tough time for Stone.

“It impacts on your reputation and the reputation of the club and so it’s really important we clear the record,” he said.

“It’s probably a pity from our point of view that it went that far and even the tribunal mentioned that probably mediation was the way to go from the outset and that didn’t happen and that’s disappointing.”

Stone is the third person from the O and M to have his original sentence altered on appeal in the past month.