Geelong coach Chris Scott says more debate is needed over protecting the man on the mark.
Scott said on Friday that he understood why Hawk Josh Gibson escaped punishment for his shepherd on Tom Ruggles on Easter Monday that left the Cat concussed.
Ruggles was standing the mark and had moved to tackle Isaac Smith when he was hit by Gibson. The two men clashed heads but Ruggles was the more serious injury and did not return to the field.
The match review panel later ruled the "degree of force in Gibson's block was not excessive".
Scott suggested the man on the mark needed an opposition-free zone of his own.
"I understood the reasons [why Gibson was not cited]. The only thing that we, and I think there is a view around this across the competition ... Tom Ruggles wasn't picked off standing the mark but he was blind sided after standing the mark. That's maybe part of the game that warrants further debate," he said.
"I think the discussion should be, the ball carrier after taking the mark is really protected now so, technically, you can't go within 10 metres of that player but the man on the mark gets no protection at all.
"The opposition can virtually stand 10 centimetres behind him and block him. My view, without having worked through it in any great detail, is that the man on the mark should be afforded similar protection."
The 10-metre rule for the man with the ball was introduced in a bid to open up play and encourage attacking football.
The unbeaten Cats certainly were attacking in their 86-point win over the Hawks, booting 11 final-quarter goals - and hope to continue that momentum against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Patrick Dangerfield hurt his ribs in the first term in a marking contest with Jarryd Roughead but managed to play out the game. Scott said the Brownlow medallist had recovered well.
"He got a knock earlier in the game but, obviously, played out the game and had a big impact so he'll be better this game than he was for the three-and-a-half quarters last week," he said.
The Cats have lost James Parsons and Sam Menegola to suspension while Scott revealed forward Lincoln McCarthy would again miss because of a sore groin.
"We thought we were very conservative with him last week and he just hasn't progressed the way we would like," he said.
"He has a little bit of groin soreness, it's not a serious issue, he has dealt with that in the past but because of that history it reinforces to us that we need to be more cautious than we might be with others."
Scott Selwood will resume in the VFL on limited minutes after a toe injury but Scott said he would need at least a fortnight to regain match conditioning.
