Collingwood coach Craig McRae has escaped financial sanction for his verbal exchange with a Giants player and the GWS coach during Sunday’s game.
The league warned McRae about his behaviour on the bench but did not issue a fine for the exchange when McRae was calling out to player Toby Bedford.
McRae and HinkleyCredit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
McRae’s comments to Bedford, who had been tagging Nick Daicos and was involved in an off the ball incident with Reef McInnes that saw him gave away a free kick, prompted Giants coach Adam Kingsley to walk towards McRae on the bench and call back at him, telling him he had to be better than that.
The pair shook hands after the match, and Kingsley played down the incident on Monday morning.
“There wasn’t much in it. To be frank, I didn’t appreciate some of the cheering directed towards Toby,” the Giants coach told SEN.
“I just felt obliged to say, ‘Don’t do that, that’s not on’. There wasn’t any abuse, let’s be really clear about that.”
The official warning was a contrast to the fine for Port coach Ken Hinkley for his sledge of Jack Ginnivan and airplane mime after last year’s semi-final victory by Port. Hinkley was fined $20,000 for the on-field exchange.
North coach Alastair Clarkson was fined $20,000 last year for an inappropriate outburst towards St Kilda players, Jimmy Webster and Dougal Howard, after Webster was involved in an incident that left Kangaroo Jy Simpkin concussed. Clarkson was given a two-game ban suspended until the end of the 2025 season and agreed to not coach from the bench last season.
The AFL said McRae’s incident was at the lower end of the scale, but warned him about his behaviour on the bench.
“After reviewing the AFL match manager’s report and speaking with both clubs overnight and again this morning, the AFL Football Department has warned Collingwood coach Craig McRae and reminded him of his responsibilities while coaching from the bench. No further action will be taken,” an AFL spokesman said.
“McRae said ‘well done’ to an opposition player who gave away a free kick as he came to the bench. GWS coach Adam Kingsley saw the interaction and then told McRae ‘he was better than that’, with McRae then sitting down.
“When on the bench or on-field, interactions between officials, coaches and/or opposition players need to continue to be conducted in a professional manner.”
AFL match review officer Michael Christian was still assessing the Sunday game and whether any action over the incident that saw Kieran Briggs stretchered from the ground in a neck brace and taken to hospital.
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