The match review panel deemed Salem's elbow to Higgins' face "intentional conduct with low impact to the head".

Higgins can also accept a $1000 fine for striking Melbourne's Clayton Oliver - an incident that sparked a succession of fights for the rest of the game. Higgins' punch was assessed as "as intentional conduct with low impact to the body" by the MRP.

North Melbourne's Ben Cunnington can also accept a $1000 fine for striking Melbourne's Bernie Vince in the gut. Vince had to come from the field and was in serious discomfort due to the punch.

Cunnington's punch was ruled "intentional conduct with low impact to the body". Salem, Vince and Cunnington's clean records were considered as part of their punishments, the MRP said.

Kurt Tippett, Joe Daniher and Patrick Cripps can all accept $1000 fines for striking, rough conduct and front-on contact, respectively.

Before the MRP handed down those its findings, McLachlan said he'd be open to rule changes that created harsher punishments for punching and jumper punching.

"I don't like punching in our game," McLachlan said. "I don't feel it's the look we want and you know to the extent that our rules don't provide for it [punishments to players], we'll look to change them.

"I think that [Melbourne vs North Melbourne] was the one where people have been talking about a significant level of emotional physical play ... without talking about any specific instance, I don't like players punching other players regardless of where it is."

McLachlan also refused to comment on Richmond's Trent Cotchin, who in round eight escaped suspension for jumper-punching Fremantle's Lachie Neale to the chin.

However, he did say: "I think as [MRP member] Jimmy Bartel said there was a lot of debate around that. Many would count Trent lucky."

Also on Monday, Bartel told RSN that the MRP should be given new rules with which to adjudicate punching and jumper punching.

He said the table of offences was too narrow, and did not allow for "non-football acts" like punching or jumper punching, to be punished severely enough.

"[The table of offences] has become so small that they're all lumped in together," Bartel said.

"You could get a week for a sling tackle, because you've got to go through the boxes, but you could get a week for punching.

"It would be great if you had something called football acts and non-football acts.

"By that I mean when you're trying to execute a football act and something goes wrong, like we talk about sling tackles and shepherding and spoiling, it's graded in a certain way.

"Things like punching are not a part of our game."

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said after the Melbourne game the MRP's lenience on jumper punches had created a precedent for letting them go, and instead called on umpires to stamp out the practice. "It's not a street fight, it's a game of footy," Scott said.