Christian Petracca's explanation for post-game blue with Mason Cox

Melbourne Demons star Christian Petracca has played his cards close to the chest after a post-game argument with Collingwood's Mason Cox after the siren in Monday's King's Birthday clash. The Demons withstood yet another fast finish from Collingwood to secure a four-point victory.

It was a high-intensity clash between two top of the ladder teams, but while teammates were shaking hands after the final siren, Petracca and Cox were seen in a heated conversation. Fans were left somewhat confused and certainly curious as to the reason why.

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Petracca was seen pointing his finger at Cox's chest, with the pair clearly agitated. Teammates from both sides attempted to gently intervene, with Cox at one point brushing Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn aside as he continued to remonstrate with Petracca.

Collingwood's Brayden Maynard also attempted to calm the situation, with Petracca and Cox eventually walking away. In an interview with the Herald Sun after the game, Petracca insisted it had been a 'heat of the moment' incident.

“It was fine. Just heat of the moment stuff. It was fine,” Petracca said.

“All good. It’s all good. It’s fine. What happens on the field, stays on the field. We’re fine. We’re fine.”

Cox also discussed the incident on Tuesday morning, revealing he and Petracca had since spoken on the phone and cleared the air. The Collingwood ruckman said he was as surprised as anyone that tempers flared after the siren.

“Words were shared,’’ he said on his podcast, The Mason Cox. “I won’t go into it too much, we’ve had the conversation, Trac and I after this, and he apologised and shook my hand, heat of the moment and we move on.

“It was interesting, I didn’t really expect words to be shared at the end of the game but they were. It is what it is, I’m not really offended to be honest, he was just hyped up from the win as you do get. And we move on.”

Brodie Grundy looms large as Demons ease past Magpies

Former Collingwood star turned Demons ruckman Brodie Grundy booted a crucial goal late in the third quarter to help the Demons pull away from Collingwood in a low-scoring struggle. The two-time All Australian was deemed surplus to requirements for Collingwood in 2023, eventually settling with the Demons.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin paid tribute to Grundy for how he handled the occasion of facing his old club. "I thought Brodes was terrific," Goodwin said.

"We really value what he brings to our team. He follows up at ground level, he wins contests, he works hard and actually looks pretty threatening at times forward.

"He's still continuing to improve and find out what his best system looks like for him, but the combination (with Demons captain Max Gawn) is what we're most focused on."

With AAP

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