AFL world rocked after alleged 'family' sledge leaves player in tears

The Melbourne Demons said they will most likely look into an ugly incident involving star defender Harrison Penny after the youngster left the field in tears during the Friday night AFL blockbuster.

Brisbane captain Dayne Zorko is under the spotlight after an alleged sledge against Petty which left the defender in tears in Friday's 58-point win by the Demons over the Lions at the Gabba.

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Petty was visibly emotional during the three-quarter time break, spending some time off the field before returning late in the game.

The incident sparked a heated discussion between Melbourne football manager Alan Richardson and his Brisbane counterpart Danny Daly before the fourth quarter.

Zorko was then confronted by several Demons at full-time before going to Petty and having a long discussion with the 22-year-old.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin said Zorko allegedly said a comment about Petty's family, which triggered the incident.

"Petts’ thought he heard something inappropriate about a family member he was a bit upset about it,” Goodwin said after the match.

“Brisbane have spoken to us and obviously the AFL will look at it. That’s pretty much the details we’ll give at the moment and we’ll just hand it over to the AFL.

“Petts was a bit emotional at three quarter-time. He went away, reset himself and came back into the game.

“Brisbane have been quite apologetic towards us and that’s the type of footy club they are. They’re a very respected humble footy club and we’ll taken them on their word.”

AFL world reacts to Harry Petty scenes

Following the scenes, the AFL world rallied behind Petty in what was described as 'distressing' scenes.

Following the incident, Lions coach Chris Fagan said Zorko's behaviour may have been sparked by Brisbane's bad night at the office as the Demons all but extinguished their top-four ambitions.

And the coach defended his leader's character.

"He's very passionate about our footy club and he would have been pretty disappointed at what was unfolding and that might have led to some frustration," Fagan said.

"I'd like to have a look at some vision to have a real accurate feel about that because whilst his leadership might not have been up to standard tonight ... he's been great for us over the last four or five years.

"So I'm not going to cane him for one performance where he was potentially below par."

The Demons subbed out Luke Jackson with a corked calf late in the win but Goodwin was confident the ruckman wouldn't miss any game time with next weekend's bye before finals.

Brisbane, who are almost certain to finish fifth or even sixth on the ladder, lost Jarrod Berry to an ankle complaint while Cam Rayner was placed on report for a first-quarter sling tackle on Demon Ben Brown.

with AAP

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