Hawthorn were slammed after a chain of debatable unfastened kicks throughout their loss to Gold Coast in Darwin, with megastar forwards Nick Watson and Jack Ginnivan specifically within the firing line.
Long recognized for his or her knack of drawing prime touch frees close to function, the pair have been as much as their same old tips to frustrate Suns avid gamers in addition to AFL enthusiasts.
In one incident past due within the ultimate quarter, Ginnivan, who famously initiated a rule trade from the league to disclaim avid gamers prime frees in the event that they decreased their frame to start up the touch, seemed to just do that to be stuck prime via Nick Holman, duly kicking a function to scale back the Suns’ result in two issues.
In the general minute, Watson, who with 3 targets was once some of the Hawks’ highest, seemed to additionally lead right into a take on head-first in an try to win a unfastened kick, despite the fact that this one wasn’t paid.
Speaking on SEN, former greats David King and Kane Cornes weren’t inspired with the Hawks’ tactic, with the membership having gained just about double the prime touch unfastened kicks inside of 50 this season than some other crew.
“I think it’s an issue for them,” Cornes stated.
“I said this during the call – I think Nick Watson’s first contest that he went to, before he had even gathered the ball, he was looking to lower his centre of gravity and win a free kick.
“His first thought is not ‘I’m going to gather this ball and distribute it or try and have a shot myself’, it’s ‘how can I win a free kick?’
“The Ginnivan free kick that he won and kicked a goal from is not a free kick … he’s lowered his centre of gravity, and the umpire has been sucked into that.
“In a critical stage late, once again, Nick Watson is trying to win a free kick. That is their first thought.”
King gave the Hawks credit score for his or her talent to attract frees being ‘an asset that they’re maximising – difficult the tackler to get it proper’, however added that it ‘just annoys the opposition fans’ and ‘challenges umpires to get it correct’.
He believes incidents the place avid gamers strive to attract prime touch unfastened kicks and fail must be themselves penalised for containing the ball.
“The thing that annoys me is when they don’t draw the high, it has to be a free kick the other way,” he stated.
“That’s your prior opportunity – they’ve tried to draw the free kick, they’ve failed, they’ve been tackled. Pay the free kick! Too often they don’t.”
“As soon as you duck into the tackle, it has to be your prior,” Cornes agreed.
“I’d go as far as to say it should be a free kick against for ducking into the tackle, because of how dangerous it is.
“It’s starting to affect some of their [Hawks’] contests – then it becomes a problem.”
Ginnivan and Watson weren’t the one Hawks to spark controversy on Thursday evening, with megastar midfielder Jai Newcombe on the centre of a heated conflict with Holman.
After Newcombe was once taken prime inside of 50 via Touk Miller, Holman complained loudly to the umpire and the Hawk that he was once ‘flopping’, prompting Newcombe to cheekily reply via opening and shutting his hand in a ‘yapping’ gesture.
After kicking the function, a heated melee erupted which took a number of mins to disperse.