Repeat offender Zak Butters has been fined again while Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard has avoided suspension despite being charged by the AFL match review officer with striking former teammate Jack Ginnivan.
Maynard raised an arm in an attempt to fend off a Ginnivan tackle during the Magpies’ heavy 66-point defeat to the Hawks on Saturday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Brayden Maynard under scrutiny for high shot on Jack Ginnivan.
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He caught Ginnivan high and can accept a $2500 penalty for an incident that was assessed as careless conduct, low impact and high contact.
The contest sparked a reaction from Hawks forward Nick Watson, who crashed into Maynard and has been charged with rough conduct.
Like Maynard, Watson can accept a $2500 fine after his bump was assessed as careless conduct, low impact and high contact.
Port Adelaide star Butters received fines for rough conduct on Richmond’s James Trezise ($5000) and careless umpire contact ($1875).
The 14th and 15th fines of his career will take Butters’ tally to $36,250 — meaning he will comfortably pass GWS Giants captain Toby Greene ($31,850) as the most fined player in AFL history.
Butters remains eligible for the Brownlow Medal because he has not been suspended, which recently raised questions about the “fairest” aspect of the award.
Earlier this year North Melbourne great David King accused the AFL of protecting the Brownlow when Butters escaped suspension for a high bump on Fremantle’s Bailey Banfield.
Fellow greats Nathan Buckley and Garry Lyon slammed Butters’ lack of discipline, but also took aim at the AFL for allowing it.
“The AFL are responsible (for allowing it) … of course they are,” Lyon said on Fox Footy.
“I’ve said this many times, he can walk into (AFL football executive) Laura Kane’s office and go: ‘Laura listen, who do we play this week? I’ll have $8000 worth of strikes’ – and Laura will say ‘that’ll give you two; a slap to the chops and one to the kidneys.’
“What sort of a competition are we running where they’re allowing that? And I know they’re not big whacks, but four in 2024 is enough.”
Under the previous match review rules, three fines would result in a suspension and Buckley posed the question before Lyon called for bigger fines and bans.
“How many should it be before you get a suspension? Two, (or) on the third it’s a suspension?” Buckley asked.
Lyon replied: “I’d fine them once ($10,000), and then give them an option the second time of $25,000 or a week – and then just start rubbing them out; so if you want to be stupid, have a spell on the sidelines… it’s just ridiculous that we allow it as a competition.”
St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall was hit with a $1250 fine for striking West Coast’s teen sensation Harley Reid during the Saints’ 72-point win on Saturday.
Eagles forward Liam Ryan was cleared of wrongdoing over an incident involving Liam Stocker.
Ryan braced for contact with Stocker but it was the MRO’s view that he did not elect to bump his opponent, and his actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances.
Days after overturning a rough conduct ban at the Appeal Board, GWS tagger Toby Bedford was fined $1250 for careless contact with an umpire.
Giants teammate Tom Green ($1250 – tripping) and Geelong defender Jake Kolodjashnij ($1250 – tripping) were also fined out of Saturday’s matches.
– with 7NEWS