Maxwell reported in fiery AFL final

Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell is on report and Hawthorn ruck-forward Jarryd Roughead will also face scrutiny after a fiery AFL qualifying final.

Magpies key defender Chris Tarrant could also be in trouble for an incident at the start of Friday night’s MCG clash, which Hawthorn won by 38 points.

Maxwell was booked for rough conduct after a third-quarter incident, off the ball, involving Hawks forward Paul Puopolo.

Images of the incident showed the pair clashing as the ball was kicked into Hawthorn’s attack.

Puopolo suffered a blood nose and he turned around angrily a couple of times, pointing at Maxwell, as trainers helped him from the field.

The young Hawk was able to return soon after and played out the match.

If the match review panel upholds the charge, a clean record might help Maxwell ahead of next weekend’s semi-final against either West Coast or North Melbourne.

Coach Nathan Buckley said he had not seen the incident.

“Obviously the report has come through, we’ll have to deal with that,” he said.

“This is the part where the coach says ‘I’ve spoken to the player and the player says there’s nothing in it’.

“Both sides were fairly physical – it’s a finals game – I don’t think anything got over the top.

“I wouldn’t have suggested our discipline off the ball was an issue.”

Four days after Geelong grudgingly accepted a one-match rough conduct ban for star utility Steve Johnson, Roughead was involved in an incident that looked very similar.

Down-the-ground images posted on the AFL website at halftime showed Roughead bumping Collingwood key forward Chris Dawes well off the ball.

Johnson’s bump on Sydney opponent Dan Hannebery earnt him a rough conduct charge and sidelined the Geelong utility for Saturday night’s elimination final against Fremantle.

The Cats made it clear they did not agree with the match review panel finding.

But they risked a two-match ban for Johnson in the finals if they went to tribunal because of his carryover points.

Unlike Johnson, Roughead has a clean record and this will help him if the panel decides to lay a charge on Monday.

Tarrant had two fierce skirmishes with direct opponent Lance Franklin, one before the first bounce and the second early in the match.

In the second, Tarrant appeared to make contact with Franklin’s midriff.

Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson collected Andrew Krakouer with a leg to the midriff as they scrambled in the goalsquare during the final term.

The panel will look at the contact, but it did not appear significant.