Sidelined Richmond star Matthew Richardson has hit back at Collingwood's Nick Maxwell for accusing the Tigers of instigating the melees in Saturday's AFL game at the MCG.

Maxwell, the Magpies captain, took aim at the Tigers on Sunday when he labelled them "pretty average" for their approach.

"That's the way they decided to go, but I thought it was pretty average considering we couldn't fight back and considering they weren't prepared, a few of their blokes, to put their head over the ball when it counted," Maxwell said on the Seven Network.

Richardson, who is sidelined after recent knee surgery, refuted any suggestion Richmond's actions were cowardly and said on Monday there was no need for Maxwell to have made the comments, especially given the Magpies won the game by 93 points.

"I don't know whether Nick needed to be making those sort of comments after the game," Richardson told radio station Vega.

"Gutless? I don't think so. I just think it was one of those games where a few wrestles developed.

"I don't know what was gutless about it.

"I think when you're winning and you're winning well I don't think you need to come out and make comments like that after a game, so I'm not sure why Nick bothered really."

Richardson made his remarks before the AFL match review panel cited 20 players - 10 from either side - for their part in the melees in the second quarter, including Maxwell.

Maxwell said on Sunday it would be unfair if many Magpies copped fines.

"There were certain instigators that were a part of that and they're the ones that should be fined, not the ones that were trying to break it up," he said.

Richmond's Jake King and Tom Hislop were both reported during the game, for striking Collingwood's Alan Didak and Shane O'Bree respectively.

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