North Melbourne ruckman Tristan Xerri is under fire for a “moment of madness” where he appeared to attempt to wipe blood on Essendon skipper Andy McGrath’s face.

Xerri and McGrath clashed in the second quarter of Saturday night’s clash at Marvel Stadium when tempers flared after a Xerri goal.

McGrath confronted Xerri in a scuffle, with the North gun left angered by a moment minutes earlier as he touched his noise then McGrath’s cheek.

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The earlier incident saw McGrath push Xerri into Archer Roberts, which floored the wounded Roos ruckman and left him appear to feel for blood on his nose.

“Don’t do that Tristan,” Melbourne great Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy.

“It did appear he was pointing to his nose, he had a blood nose, he was touching it with his fingers. Whether he might’ve put it onto Andy McGrath.

“This is the issue here, he’s telling McGrath he has a blood nose. That’s not what you want to see in the game.”

The incident where Tristan Xerri appeared to try and wipe blood on Andy McGrath’s face.Source: FOX

Chief Herald Sun reporter Jay Clark suggested Xerri would face suspension.

“A bizarre moment,” Clark said on Fox Footy.

“A moment of madness really from Tristan Xerri.

“And it could cost him a couple of weeks suspension.

“He goes down, the to Essendon players make contact with him. He’s got a bit of claret coming from the nose.

“He shows the umpire – look I’ve got a blood nose. The play moves forward – he kicks the goal, then he’s up into McGrath’s face.

“Watch what he does with his hands! Grabs some of that blood and thrusts it onto the face of Andrew McGrath – the captain of Essendon.

“That is horrible. It is a horrible look for younger kids out there, for junior players.

“This is a serious misconduct charge under the AFL tribunal guidelines.

“That means it’ll be directly referred to the AFL Tribunal – we’re looking at multiple weeks’ suspension”

Dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna added: “I certainly think that needs to go to the Tribunal – he needs to cop a sanction.

“That’s a horrible look.

“It’s not acceptable and not something we’ve seen for a long time

“I’m not sure what Tristan Xerri was thinking in that situation – but we can’t have that.

“Most likely he’s going to be missing some football.”

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley received a one-match ban in 2002 for deliberately smearing blood on Geelong’s Cameron Ling.

Meanwhile Magpies veteran and former Demon Jeremy Howe copped a fine in 2012 for wiping blood on the shorts of Port Adelaide opponent Tom Jonas.