Footy fans demand answers over questionable Richmond free kick
Halfway through the second quarter Richmond were surging forward against Collingwood when Jonty Faull launched one to the 50m arc.
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Collingwood's Harry Perryman found himself right in the perfect spot for the drop of the ball with Tigers forward Steely Green surging in from a distance.
Perryman set himself up to protect the space as Green attempted to launch over the top for a mark of the year contender.
In the end Green soared high onto the shoulder of Perryman and got two hands on the ball before fumbling and crashing to the turf and landing square on his back.
The umpire's whistle blew almost instantly with the Tigers forward being awarded the free kick for being blocked out.
Perryman was left fuming over the free kick and the Magpies star wasn't the only one annoyed by the whistle.
Geelong legend Tom Hawkins couldn't quite understand how Perryman had been penalised on Fox Footy.
'What do you do? He's trying to protect the space … I'm with the Collingwood faithful here,' Hawkins said.
The Age's Peter Ryan wrote on X: 'That free kick against Harry Perryman for god knows what to Steely Green who was flying for a mark is beyond me. It's worth watching as I'm not sure I understand the game's rules from week to week any longer.'
Lenny Phillips wrote: 'Did steely green just get a free for trying to take a cool mark in the wet?'
Another irate fan added: 'The imbecile masquerading as an umpire who just paid that mark to Steely Green shouldn't umpire a senior AFL game again.'
Of course not everybody watching on was left angry over the decision with many quick to back the umpire's call.
One wrote on Instagram: 'He took his eyes off the ball this isn't complicated.'
A second added: 'Clear free kick. Not sure why anyone is complaining.'
A third posted: 'He took his eyes off the ball to block him intentionally, obvious free kick, if he was guarding the space to purely mark the ball then it should be play on.'
Despite the contentious moment, it mattered little to the end result with Collingwood storming clear to secure the 13.15 (93) to 8.9 (57) victory.
The clash saw Nick Daicos deliver his latest masterclass with the superstar moving a step closing to making his Brownlow Medal dreams a reality.
He is likely to have earned another three votes from the umpires as he finished with 42 disposals and an equal career-high three goals against the inexperienced Tigers.
He was a class above anyone else on the field and the signs were ominous from the opening minutes when the realisation set in there was no direct tag from Richmond coach Adem Yze.
'I put a bit of grippo on and the ball didn't leave my hand after that,' Daicos told Fox Footy post-match when asked about his cleanliness in the wet conditions.
His third goal was the pick of the lot as Daicos ran towards his boundary and kicked truly on his left foot.
It was the third time in his 89-game career he's had more than 30 touches and kicked three goals.
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