Melbourne skipper Max Gawn has said he hopes Dayne Zorko's sledge towards Harrison Petty will be a "line in the sand" moment.
The Brisbane skipper made the comment, directed towards a member of Petty's family, during the heated Friday night Round 23 clash.
Petty, who was drafted by the Demons in 2017, was left visibly emotional after the altercation, consoled by teammates, coaches, and staff.
Speaking to media, Gawn said that Petty remained in good spirits, but reiterated that some issues should be "off-limits" on the footy field.
“It's pretty clear to me going into games that some stuff is off-limits, but definitely now these comments are done, I do hope it is a line in the sand and those sort of comments can stay away from the footy field,” Gawn said
“It is the first time I have heard anything that deep. I'm not here to talk about it and go on about it and bring it up, I actually think it's been well-handled post, but it certainly is rare.
"Harry's one of us, we love what he does for the football club.
"The back seven' like in any team, are a lot closer than pretty much any other part of the team - you could see Steven May really taking him under his wing."
Zorko has come under fire for his comment on social media, with calls for his resignation as Brisbane skipper, although the 33-year won't face punishment for his actions.
It isn't the first time he come underfire for his actions on the field. In 2019 he was involved in an incident with Gold Coast star midfielder Touk Miller when he refused to shake hands after the Sun won the Marcus Ashcroft medal for best on ground in the Q-Clash.
Last year, he was given a one-match suspension after elbowing Melbourne forward Tom McDonald in an off-the-ball incident.
Melbourne currently has the week off, before starting their September campaign with a Qualifying Final under the Friday night lights against Sydney at the MCG.
