Umpires and the Match Review Officer should come down harder on players that stage for free kicks, according to four-time Power best and fairest winner Kane Cornes, who claims the AFL has an “issue” with “floppers”.
After being awarded a free kick during the first quarter of St Kilda’s match against Hawthorn on Saturday, star forward Max King was awarded a 50m penalty due to off-ball contact from Hawks defender James Blanck. As King was being marched inside 50, he copped another bump from Hawthorn captain James Sicily, prompting a second 50m penalty and a certain goal.
Later on Saturday, Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman received an off-ball free kick after an incident with Gold Coast defender Ben Long led to the former hitting the TIO Stadium turf. Weightman kicked the goal to draw the Bulldogs within one point of the Suns with just under six minutes remaining in the match.
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Speaking on Channel 9’s The Sunday Footy Show, Cornes claimed King shouldn’t have received a 50m penalty, nor should Weightman have been awarded a free kick.
“There’s an issue with the game and it is with flopping. We saw Cody Weightman and we also saw another one (King),” Cornes told Channel 9.
“They (the NBA) have got troubles with flopping as well. They’re considering penalising the floppers or those that are staging with a technical free throw in-game – and I think we need to start doing the same.
“I’m sick of this. In a close game that is a 50m penalty and a guaranteed goal. Max King, I’m not critical of him, because the umpires are giving him a free kick for it. But we’ve got to stamp it out.
“That should be a free kick against King and that should go to Hawthorn, rather than rewarding that sort of action.
“It frustrates fans, it frustrates everyone. We’ve got to get it out of the game. It’s easy to do it, just penalise them, pay a free kick against and players will stop doing it.”
On the Weightman incident, Cornes said: “I think you blow the whistle and pay a free kick against, instead of rewarding him with a free kick. Luckily Gold Coast still won that game, but it frustrates everyone.
“Fine for him (King), fine for Weightman. But further than that, it should be a free kick against.”
Dual All-Australian Nathan Brown added: “The onus is on the umpire and now on the AFL and Michael Christian to come out and fine the players that have done it.”