The AFL’s stand rule is under renewed fire just days after football boss Greg Swann defended the frustrating intricacies.

Multiple 50m penalties have been paid in recent weeks against players running back to defend rather than standing the mark, despite being nowhere near it or focusing on their direct opponent.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Cam Mackenzie cops costly 50m penalty over stand rule

Hawthorn’s Cam Mackenzie was the unlucky player on Thursday night, penalised in a one-point game with 4:38 left on the clock, before his side escaped with a draw against Collingwood.

AFL great Luke Hodge called out the umpires for ignoring a similar situation “three times” at the other end of the ground.

Port Adelaide premiership player Kane Cornes was diplomatic in the moment, saying: “Mackenzie just has to stand — you’re in there, you’ve got to stand on the mark. You need to know that rule, it will cost you big time.”

But he was more forthright after the game.

“I cannot, pardon the pun, stand the stand rule,” Cornes said.

“For a long time I’ve campaigned against it, I’ve had to concede that it’s going to be here and here for good. But if you don’t want to stand the mark why do you have to?

“If you don’t want to be standing on the mark, if you want to get back, if you want the opposition to have free reign and be able to play on why are you not allowed to do that?

“I don’t understand, it’s of great confusion, it’s been a hot topic this week and one that isn’t going to go away.”

Swann faced the music over the issue last week, responding directly to footage of Richmond’s Ben Miller being penalised for choosing to run with Melbourne captain Max Gawn instead of giving up on that chase to stand on the mark.

He suggested players must be ordered to stand on the mark, and 50m penalties paid if they don’t, to avoid “everyone” choosing instead to flood back and defend.

“We can’t have that in footy,” AFL 360’s Garry Lyon said.

Swann replied: “He is expected (to stand the mark) because he’s in the protected zone. You stop. You have to, that’s part of it.”

“(Umpires) call stand 200 times, there’s less than one free kick paid (on average). So that’s an outlier,” he added.

“You’ll see that (Miller chasing Gawn) happen 10 times a game and they do stand.

“It’s not perfect but in the scheme of things the stand rule’s really working.”

With players barred from making their own decision, St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said the AFL must at least concede a 50m penalty is too harsh.

“It’s going to cost someone a flag or a prelim and we’re going to go ‘why have we been putting up with this?’ It’s the worst rule in football by some margin,” Mick Molloy said on Triple M’s Mick in the Morning.

Riewoldt replied: “It is.”

“It’s so jarring to watch a player run and have to stand on the side, he’s got basically no impact on the play,” the Channel 7 expert said.

“You can abuse an umpire, swear at him and carry on — that’s a 50m penalty. This is also a 50m penalty.

“The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Make it 25, make it whatever.”

Once upon a time stepping over the mark drew a 15m penalty, and even that distance can prove costly as Melbourne legend Jim Stynes discovered in a 1987 preliminary final against Hawthorn.

The Dees led by four points at the time but lost after the final siren when Stynes’ brain fade gifted Gary Buckanera a closer shot at goal.