Greene admitted he over-reacted to being tackled but his act – which looked more like UFC footage or a street brawl when re-played than an AFL game – was designed to intimidate rather than injure.

If that was the case then maybe Greene deserved a fine. But supporters have to take his word for it without the tribunal vigorously testing whether it stood up to scrutiny, leaving us with a sense the deterrent to a player's action in such cases should be higher than what it became at the tribunal on Monday.

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No one complained post-game on Saturday about the Giants style, accepting different rules apply in finals, and no one is questioning that physical intimidation is legitimate in big games. But when you act like Greene did in that moment, there should be a risk that the penalty for the action will be higher than a fine when it is sent to a tribunal.

If the MRO refers an incident to the tribunal – as appeared reasonable in this case given there were a series of acts within the one incident – then argument and counter-argument should be heard with a one match suspension a possibility, rather than everyone agreeing a fine was appropriate.