The AFL is intent on protecting the head but a free kick in Thursday night’s game between Carlton and Melbourne had commentators arguing players are taking advantage of umpire caution.
Carlton kicked five straight goals in the first quarter and kept Melbourne scoreless, before the Dees brought the deficit back to 22 points at three-quarter time and the game turned into a thriller in the fourth quarter.
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The Demons kept coming but the Blues held on for a 12.5 (77) to 11.10 (76) victory — a much needed win to draw level with Melbourne with six wins on the ladder.
But the Dees possibly could have won had Jacob van Rooyen been awarded a holding the ball free kick for his tackle on Carlton’s Brodie Kemp midway through the final term.
Van Rooyen wrapped up Kemp and brought him to the MCG turf, but the umpire deemed it was a dangerous tackle because Kemp’s head made contact with the ground.
Kemp was given the ball and Melbourne were denied a shot on goal and a chance to trim the deficit.
Watch the controversial tackle moment in the video player above
Alister Nicholson said in commentary on Channel 7: “Kemp’s in huge trouble. Monster tackle.
“A dangerous tackle … oh I do not know about that.”
Brian Taylor added: “I reckon Kemp, that’s a classic example of a player deliberately putting his head into the ground.”
West Coast premiership player Will Schofield wrote on X: “That dangerous tackle call is absolutely disgraceful!!! How are we encouraging blokes to throw their heads to the ground?”
SEN’s Nic Negrepontis said: “That dangerous tackle call for Kemp might be the worst umpire decision of the year lmao.”
Footy journalist Brayden May said: “That is comical umpiring and has just ruined the end of this game.”
Fox Footy’s Max Laughton countered: “The problem with umpire/free kick discourse is that it was pretty reasonable to think this was dangerous in real time.
“Need to do something about the player exaggerating but that’s a MRO thing not an umpiring thing.”
The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph wrote on X: “New umpires boss Stephen McBurney spoke today on the challenges of umpiring in this era when players try so hard to win free kicks.
“That Van Rooyen tackle was perfect but how does the umpire know when Kemp pitched forward so he could win the free kick?
“The AFL hasn’t fined players for staging this year. Hard to fine Kemp when other players haven’t been cited for that type of incident. It has to be ‘excessive exaggeration’ and affect an umpire’s decision making.”
Melbourne’s Christian Petracca went full beast mode in the second half, finished with five goals and 21 disposals to nearly drag his side across the line.
Max Gawn wasted no time, kicking a set shot bomb from 50 metres to make it a one point game with 40 seconds remaining.
Melbourne got the ball forward from the ensuing centre bounce but Patrick Cripps and Nic Newman tackled Petracca — giving Carlton possession and sealing the game.
A week after he was criticised for not sticking with Nick Daicos as he kicked the matchwinning goal for Collingwood, Sam Walsh was best on ground and set the tone in the first half.
The one-point result continues a run of close games between Melbourne and Carlton, and Fox Footy’s David King dubbed the Blues “cardiac Carlton”.
Carlton will play the Sydney Swans in a blockbuster clash next Friday at the SCG.
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