Fremantle ruck Mason Cox believes opposition coaches should be prepared for incoming fire if they choose to coach from the boundary, while Collingwood coach Craig McRae has laughed off mounting external criticism over his in-game chat with Sydney star Brodie Grundy.
McRae himself questioned whether the moment has been blown out of proportion at his weekly press conference on Thursday.
The controversy occured during the Magpies' tight six-point loss to the Swans at the SCG last week. Grundy, chasing a ball over the boundary line right in front of the Collingwood interchange bench, found himself face-to-face with his former coach.
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According to Grundy, McRae simply offered a quirky "G'day, old mate!" as the star ruckman swept past.
Speaking on the Red Time podcast, Cox threw his support behind the entertainment value of in-game chatter, also referencing the famous Ken Hinkley and Jack Ginnivan airplane-gesture spat from a recent finals series.
"I think like 'Fly' [McRae] would never have talked trash to Brodie... whether or not it's just him trying to get in his head, I don't know," Cox said.
"But I feel as though if you're on the field, I don't care what your status is -- head coach, high performance, whatever it is -- if you're on the ground, you're fair game. Just as much as a fan that's in the audience. If you don't like it, then go up to the box."
Cox, who spent years playing under McRae before moving west, admitted that cross-team banter is a natural byproduct of a modern league which sees its players and coaches change teams constantly.
"I kind of like it, it adds to the game, it adds to the rivalry," Cox said.
"If you're ground level, if you're in vocal distance to someone, then I think it's fair game. I know the AFL won't like that... but in my personal experience, I'd love it. Oh boy, there'd be some words!
"I've given some lip out to people before. You're in the league long enough, a lot of it's cheeky and funny because you kind of get to know people, and people move teams. I think back to some games I've played and I've definitely given it to some people when I've been on the bench whenever you go by."
The brief interaction has divided much of the football world this week, with some commentators arguing that head coaches communicating directly with opposition players in the heat of battle is a bad look for the game.
When pressed at his weekly press conference on whether he had reflected on the exchange, or felt the need to apologise to the Swans, a bewildered McRae responded: "No, seriously, for me it's just a moment in time and we keep moving.
"If you have a strong relationship with someone, I don't see an issue with it. We have a strong relationship and I've got a great respect for Brodie, there was nothing untoward.
"Is it that big an issue?"
McRae strongly defended his decision to remain stationed at ground level rather than coaching from the box.
"I love coaching from the boundary, there's a real connection to the players there," he explained.
"I feel there's an energy for me on the boundary line with the team, an ability to instantly react to situations of the game."
