Former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna believes the AFL should take a stand against players taunting the opposition.
Montagna's radical suggestion comes after Sydney's Tom Papley was gifted a free-kick when Hawthorn defender James Frawley shoved the small forward to the ground in Saturday's clash.
Frawley reciprocated to Papley taunting Brownlow Medalist Tom Mitchell after he kicked his first goal.
Montagna believes a taunting rule should be implemented to take the action out of the game.
“(My First Crack is) the players that go and shove after someone misses a goal, rub their hair when they make a mistake. I want to bring in a taunting rule,” he said on Fox Footy’s The First Crack.
“There’s taunting rules in other sports, the NBA has brought it in. I’ve got no problem with what James Frawley did there, because if I was a teammate of Tom Mitchell, they would go and do the same thing.
“You’re not going to let a player stand over the top of your Brownlow Medallist and treat him the way he did. I think it’s just a free kick straight away if someone goes up and patronises, rubbing their head, goes and bump them when they miss a shot at goal, I just think award a free-kick.”
Montagna suggested if players wanted to get under an opponents skin, they are better off getting in their ear as opposed to bumping them or rubbing their hair after missing a goal.
“Stamp it out of the game and I think it’s an embarrassing look for the competition but embarrassing for the players that do it,” he said.
It’s not tough, if you want to psychologically get in someone‘s ear. Just walk past them and say something to them, you don’t have to push them or bump them.
“I didn’t think when someone missed a goal or made a mistake that you ran up to them and laughed at them and roughed their hair. I want it stamped out, the retribution you can’t do anything anymore and these players are getting away with it.”
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson post-match singled out Papley over his fall that gifted him his second goal after the taunt.
"He [Papley] milks a free kick as good as anyone in the competition and he did so again on this occasion."
