The AFL has shown a "lack of leadership" in the Brayden Maynard case, according to Six Points co-host Daniel Harford.
The Collingwood leader avoided any games suspension for umpire contact during a half-time melee with Gold Coast on Saturday, after he wanted to remonstrate for a bump landed by Suns enforcer Ben Long.
Maynard, once the second quarter siren rang, charged towards Long, with field umpire Nick Brown caught in the crosshairs. As a result, the Pies defender was fined $5000.
SEE MORE: Maynard, Miller and Long learn fate, 37 charges made in total across Round 17
"$5000 fine. I looked at it and thought what else could it be?" Six Points co-host Mark Stevens said.
"Because you couldn't say it was intentional and it was probably worse than careless. So the AFL created a category."
Harford responded: "We had reckless. Back in the old days, we had reckless acts. I must admit, I'm a bit of a believer that the AFL has missed a trick here.
"They've shown a lack of leadership when it comes to this. Remember, in terms of the umpiring fraternity and the way they've been treated from participants in the game, let alone the supporters, but only last week, the AFL came out and said we're not tolerating anymore criticism of the umpires. They've got a tough enough job. We need them to go about their business without the stress and strain without the constant feedback from the coaches and players in press conferences.
"So they made a real stand, saying 'no more of this'. The on the weekend we have a player in a rage, after half-time, the game had stopped, charging towards an area where the umpire was and makes contact with him. I'm staggered that it's only a $5000 fine.
"If you're going to suspend or fine Miller, you're getting heaps more for Maynard who put himself in that situation because he was in a rage, and quite rightly so because of what Ben Long did to him.
"But you can't have vigilante justice going on after the siren, when the players are supposed to be going to the sheds. Makes a beeline for Ben Long does Maynard, in the act of doing that, makes contact with the umpire. You cannot do that.
"That was a really poor lack of leadership from the AFL."
Harford believed it would've made the most sense to send Maynard and Collingwood to the Tribunal, with the "matrix" not equipped to deal with such a scenario.
"Spot on," the former Hawthorn player said.
"That's where it should've happened straight away. Go straight to the Tribunal. No judgement. The matrix doesn't cater for this. Send it straight to the Tribunal and let's have a conversation about what we think is acceptable, and what the player did.
"Because it's a broader conversation. It's not just about what happened in that moment in the AFL. It's now how it looks and what's acceptable in Australian rules footy across the country at every level.
"It was a real chance for the AFL to have a conversation about what we think is acceptable from an umpire contact perspective, and broadcast that, and have that purvey through the whole of Australian rules footy community, and they've missed that trick.
"And they said, interestingly, in the statement they released, 'we'll be making no further comment about this'. I think they should. They're the ones that govern the game. They're the ones that make the rules."
Suns leader Touk Miller also received the same penalty ($5000) while Long copped a two-game ban.
