Freo forward Patrick Voss apologises 'from the bottom of his heart' for 'dud act' after copping $1000 fine

Fremantle forward Patrick Voss has apologised after receiving a fine from the AFL for taunting, after he mocked Melbourne's Harrison Petty during his side's win in round two.

The MRO handed the rising star a $1000 sanction, saying his actions could have instigated a melee.

At the end of the first quarter, Voss and Petty got into a heated exchange on the field, which prompted the Dockers midfielder to pat his opponent on the head.

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Voss then turned back and made a crying gesture towards Petty, who was left in tears during a 2022 game when Brisbane's Dayne Zorko made an untoward comment about his mother, before Noah Answerth did a similar thing two years after the initial incident.

Voss seemingly dug up the past and copped it from MRO Michael Christian because of it.

He reportedly made an apology privately to members of the Fremantle leadership group during the week, and has now apologised publicly, saying he was unaware of Petty's history and did not intentionally mock him for it.

"From the bottom of my heart, I honestly had no context whatsoever around the whole situation. As soon as I got some context around it, at the end of the game, I reached out to Harry and just let him know there was nothing sinister behind it at all," Voss told Triple M's Xav and Katie in Perth.

"And yeah, he was really good about it, so I'm glad that I was able to reach out to him and he was able to accept my apology."

When asked if he truly had no idea about Petty's history when he mocked him, Voss said "100 per cent".

"If I had my time again, there's no way in the world I'd go down that path. And that's obviously where I went wrong. And obviously I put my hand up and say, I've got it wrong," he said.

"I didn't even hear rumours, nothing like that. I was obviously referring to the time that he did end up crying in Brisbane, but no idea why he was crying.

"On Sunday I rang (coach Justin Longmuir) first. It just obviously didn't sit too well with me after a win when everyone's talking about you and something you did on the footy field instead of a what was a great team performance.

"The club's been unbelievable this week in terms of reinforcing to me that they still want me to bring my competitive edge and still, like you say, walk the tightrope.

"I obviously stepped over the mark on the weekend … I've put my hand up and I own and I've sort of apologised to them in that sense."

Known for his boisterous personality on field, the key forward has had to face the music in the media, with former West Coast coach Adam Simpson not holding back on Monday.

"Is there an award for the biggest idiot in the competition? Can I say that on air?" Simpson asked on SEN.

"I like the way he plays, and I like that he's a character and every now and then he's going to cross the line, so be it if that's the way, but I don't know, if I'm his teammate, I'm having a word; and if I'm playing against him, I'm having a word as well.

"He sticks his chest out and puffs it up and that's all fine. You need the characters, but you don't need that.

"I like the taunting that no one sees. Which happens all the time, that's the banter. The one-on-one war you might have with someone for 10 years, but no one knows about it.

"I think when you showboat for everyone else to watch, that for me is like, come on mate, pull your head in."

Commentator Gerard Whateley labelled it a "dud act", saying he likes the fine.

North Melbourne great David King believes the brash 22-year-old stepped over the line with his antics, before calling on the league to introduce rules against taunting between rival players.

"I think there will be a reflection there from the club and from Patrick that that's just a step too far," King said during the Fox Footy broadcast.

"You can embarrass them in the way you play, but you can't humiliate them face-to-face.

"I think you've got to have a status to get away with that kind of stuff, and the harsh reality is Patrick Voss doesn't have that yet. You're going at players and causing scenes.

"I think it's a bad look, and I don't think the AFL will be thrilled with this.

"I think the taunting rule will come into effect … I'm not sure whether there's anything in the rules right now that you could sanction the player (with), but it's worthy of a discussion, because in the end, it's an ugly part of our game that we don't need.

"It doesn't sell our code or do our code any favours to the greater community."

Voss has since brushed off criticism of his 'cry baby' taunt towards Petty.

"I'm definitely a competitor, and once I step over the white line, that's the way that I can get myself into the game," he said.

"There were a few words being said, but yeah, shake hands at the end of the day.

"Probably early in my career I stepped over the line a few times, and as I've matured I've found the line fairly well, and I think I'm in a pretty good space at the moment."

Voss has carved out a crucial role at the Dockers since the club handed him a lifeline after Essendon delisted him.

He played 20 games in 2025, kicking 37 goals and pushing his way into the club's best side.