Debate breaks out over late free kick to Carlton, whether Brodie Kemp should be fined for staging, Jacob van Rooyen, Melbourne Demons, reactions, controversy, latest news

Carlton’s epic one-point win over Melbourne last night got the Blues’ season back on track, but also highlighted a crucial refereeing decision that fell in their favor during the final quarter.

With just over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Demons trailed by 20 points with the ball inside their front pocket.

Jacob van Rooyen, who would have felt like he executed the perfect tackle on Brodie Kemp, brought down the defender and caused the ball to slip out of Kemp’s hands in the process.

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However, the referee deemed his tackle dangerous, a baffling decision believed to have been awarded in part due to Kemp’s apparent exaggeration as his head bowed towards the ground.

During the live game, Channel 7 Commentators Alister Nicholson and Brian Taylor were not impressed with the decision.

“A dangerous tackle… I don’t know anything about that,” Nicholson said.

“I think Kemp is a classic case of a player deliberately putting his head in the ground,” Taylor added.

The free kick prevented a crucial shot on goal for the Demons, and with the final margin being a solitary point, the tackle was always going to be hotly debated.

speaking in SEN On Friday morning, Kane Cornes and David King briefly discussed the tackle after a call sparked debate.

“It looked like he lunged forward, others suggest he didn’t,” Cornes said.

“It’s very hard on referees now; that’s why I think we need to come up with a system of fines for forgers,” King said in response to the entry.

“It was a great moment, it was at the end of the game, a one-point result; it had all the hallmarks of being an important decision for the referee.”

“I feel sorry for the referees at the moment, I think they have no chance of getting this right.”

King then asked Cornes if he would fine the players for the staging, with acts like Kemp’s under the microscope.

“I would love to fine counterfeits,” Cornes said simply.

The former Port Adelaide player also suggested referees should be encouraged to be more vocal about their roles and interpretations of the decision, including new referee chief Steve McBurney.

He added that giving them a platform to speak more would give fans more “empathy” for the referees and that it would “make them a bit human”.

Healthy is one way to describe the online debate that ensued after Kemp’s free-kick, with two Fox Footy pundits on opposite sides of the online debate.

Former champion and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley strongly defended the Blues defender in the tackle, saying while it should have been a free kick for Melbourne, there was no staging involved.

However, West Coast senior player Will Schofield sat at the other end of the spectrum, noting that the referee’s decision was “absolutely disgraceful” on X (formerly Twitter).

SEN Nic Negrepontis wrote on X: “That dangerous tackle call for Kemp might be the worst ref call of the year lmao.”

Carlton’s impressive one-point victory sees them break a two-match losing streak and finally beat one of the strongest contenders for the premiership, after succumbing to Collingwood and Geelong in recent weeks.

They will play Sydney next Friday night, while the Demons will look to rectify their loss with a win next Sunday night in Perth over West Coast.