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Carlton captain Marc Murphy won't pursue action over 'unacceptable' sledging from St Kilda players

Daniel Cherny
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Carlton captain Marc Murphy won't pursue action over the sledging directed at him by St Kilda players on Saturday, viewed in Murphy's camp as having crossed a line of acceptability.

Neither the Blues nor the Saints would comment publicly on Sunday about the nature of the sledging, which is understood to have been of a highly personal nature.

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St Kilda resist spirited Carlton Blues

Twice St Kilda looked set to run away to a comfortable win against Carlton at Etihad Stadium but the Blues fought not only to prevent a hiding, but to actually hit the front.

Despite that, the two clubs are keen to move on from the spiteful Etihad Stadium clash, which resulted in a 19-point win for St Kilda. The Saints and Blues have both privately accepted some fault after the heated encounter, which reached its flashpoint with a melee that is likely to result in heavy fines from the match review panel on Monday. The brawl ensued after Murphy's taunting of injured Saints defender Jake Carlisle, which led to the retaliation from an abundance of nearby St Kilda players angered by the midfielder's behaviour. Murphy was subsequently booed by many St Kilda fans.

However Murphy's reaction was also likely shaped by the remarks made to him during the game by some Saints players, which left Murphy – known as someone who is generally calm and unruffled – very agitated. Murphy only shook the hands of two Saints after the game, although it is believed he issued friendly regards to St Kilda coach Alan Richardson, with whom Murphy previously worked at the Blues when Richardson was an assistant coach.

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In the absence of an official complaint from either club, it is unlikely the AFL will pursue the matter, other than via the melee fines from the MRP. The league has previously investigated players for personal sledges, such as in 2012 when Western Bulldogs ruckman Will Minson was the subject of a probe into a sledge directed at Port Adelaide's Danyle Pearce, relating to the then-Power player's mother. Minson was suspended for one match by the Bulldogs. Former AFL football operations chief Mark Evans said last year that there were certain personal things that shouldn't be said on a football field. The league separately has rules outlawing vilification on the basis of race, religion or sexual orientation.

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