Collingwood coach Craig McRae has sidestepped a war of words with Sydney counterpart John Longmire, admitting he went too far with his post-match comments about a contentious umpiring decision.
McRae was officially cautioned by the AFL on Monday but doubled-down on his assessment that Dan McStay should have been paid a 50-metre penalty in the dying stages of the Magpies' three-point loss to the Swans last Friday night.
In the immediate aftermath, McRae said "it would have been paid at the MCG", and also highlighted what he felt was a "circus" surrounding insufficient-intent calls during the match.
It sparked a stinging rebuke from Longmire, who laughed on Monday when asked by reporters about McRae's post-match comments.
"It was an extraordinary admission from the coach of a team that has the biggest home-ground advantage in the AFL," Longmire said.
"This year they play 14 games at the MCG (and) they play three at Marvel (Stadium).
"That's 17 games essentially in front of their home crowd, and they play finals and obviously the grand final on their home deck.
"I wonder what (Brisbane Lions coach) Chris Fagan thought of those comments ... because it's a pretty extraordinary admission from the club that has the biggest home-ground advantage in the competition."
Fagan's Brisbane suffered an agonising four-point loss to Collingwood amid late umpiring controversy in last year's grand final at the MCG.
Longmire also raised a point about Collingwood getting the rub of the green at a crucial stage in their narrow comeback win over North Melbourne in June.
The 2012 Swans premiership coach's comments added to a decades-long debate over competitive balance between key figures at Sydney and Collingwood.
But McRae didn't want to buy into the argument during his appearance on SEN radio on Monday.
"I was frustrated after the game and you say things," McRae said.
"I've been a real obvious advocate for umpires and how difficult their job is.
"But there's times when you get into a game and there's so much on the line and you just get frustrated, and I did.
"I stepped over the mark, I know that."
McRae reiterated his belief McStay should have been paid a 50-metre penalty when Sydney's Tom McCartin stepped over the mark.
But the 2023 premiership coach added he didn't think that incident decided the game.
"I stand by that, but I don't need to add the other layers like the crowd affirmation and things like that," McRae said.
"That's real. When I lived it, it's a new experience for me. John, I haven't coached many away games. You're right.
"This is just the reality of my 70-odd games (as coach).
"We've played a lot of home games, so I'm not used to crowd noise that influences, which has been a real thing for a long time."
The AFL has not clarified whether a 50-metre penalty should have been paid against McCartin, which would have given McStay the chance to kick what could have been a match-winning goal.
Sydney retained top spot on the ladder with their come-from-behind win on Friday night, while Collingwood's finals hopes are now out of their hands.
The Magpies must win their two remaining games against Brisbane and Melbourne, and have other results fall their way.
