AFL urged to penalise players staging for free kicks

KANE Cornes has called for the AFL to stamp out players staging for free kicks.

Across Saturday’s round 11 game, Cornes pointed out two incidents of what he considers blatant flopping with St Kilda’s Max King picking up a free kick against Hawthorn’s James Blanck and Western Bulldog Cody Weightman drawing a whistle against Gold Coast’s Ben Long.

With King and Weightman both kicking goals following the free kicks, Cornes called for the AFL to encourage umpires to instead penalise the instigator when they feel a player stages.

“There’s an issue for the game and it is flopping,” Cornes said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.

“We saw Cody Weightman do it [on Saturday against Gold Coast].

“In the NBA they have this problem as well, they’re considering penalising floppers or those staging for fouls with a technical free throw in-game.

“I think we need to start doing the same [in the AFL].

“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.”

Cornes also said he expects King and Weightman to receive fines from the MRO due to their acts.

“I think that you blow the whistle and pay the free kick against [for staging],” Cornes said.

“Instead of rewarding him [Weightman] for the free kick, luckily Gold Coast still won that game but it frustrates anyone.

“[It should be] a fine for King and a fine for Weightman [from the MRO]. But further than that pay a free kick against.”

– BY LACHLAN GELEIT/ SEN