Did Blues defender flop for crucial dangerous tackle free kick in win over Dees?

Carlton defender Brodie Kemp earned a crucial dangerous tackle free kick in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 77-76 win over Melbourne at the MCG.

With the Blues up 76-56 with eight minutes left in the fourth term, Kemp was tackled from behind by Jacob van Rooyen with the Carlton defender’s head hitting the turf after being taken down.

The whistle ended up costing Melbourne a goal as the ball spilled out to Kysaiah Pickett, who squared the ball to the goal square to a free Ed Langdon who put it through the big sticks before the ball was called back.

Channel Seven’s Brian Taylor said at the time that it was a “classic case of a player deliberately putting his head into the ground”.

Others didn’t see it the same way as Taylor though, with Nathan Buckley taking to X (formerly Twitter) to say: “Kemp didn’t stage. Don’t fall for the sensationalism in the call. Should have been a free kick to the Dees though. Good tackle.”

In response to those takes, Kane Cornes and David King discussed the incident on SEN Breakfast and the duo disagreed on whether the Blue flopped for a free kick.

Cornes: “I wasn't as strong as some, but that's the way I saw it. I thought there was an exaggeration for that free kick.

“Others disagree, but I thought Kemp did flop forward.”

King: “Do you reckon?”

Cornes: “I did. To a certain extent, I thought he exaggerated that.”

King: When I first saw it, I thought, “Oh, not this again’, and that it had cost Melbourne a shot a goal.

“But I've watched it I reckon six times and the umpire doesn't get that luxury.

“He throws his head back at the start, trying to play for a free kick.

“But I don't know if he did what Owies did the previous week and what some others have done over the last few weeks.

“But this is creeping into our game and the longer we accept it and allow it, the more you're going to get of these sorts of decisions.”

After the free kick, Carlton next scored a rushed behind point that proved crucial before the Dees kicked the next two points and three goals to bring the margin to one point when the siren rang out.