Richmond duo Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlaustin were the targets of death threats on social media last night after the pair were accused of 'flopping' against Essendon.
Grimes was awarded a free kick in the second quarter for what the umpire deemed as a pushout in the marking contest.
Bomber, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti kicked a goal before the incident, but it was overturned and Richmond went up the other end and kicked a goal.
Vlaustin was awarded a 50-metre penalty in the final term for a late hit by Tom Belchambers. In real-time, it appeared Belchambers made contact with his fist but replays showed that it was open palm and Vlaustin made the most out of the incident.
After the match, the pair took to Instagram to publish the abuse they received predominately from Essendon supporters.
It is the second incident of its type involving Bombers fans in three weeks after GWS star Callan Ward revealed he received death threats for a dubious free kick.
Veteran commentator Tim Lane challenged players to stand as one and call out their colleagues who stage for free kicks.
Players demean themselves and their game, they cheat their fellow professionals, and they wilfully make umpires look stupid when they stage for frees. They need to be challenged on this: to stand as one and commit to calling out those who do it.
— Tim Lane (@TimLaneSport) August 22, 2020
A frustrated John Worsfold was left to bemoan the impact of the two incidents on the final result.
โThe free kick against us when Walla was running into an open goal had a massive impact. It was a critical part of the game,โ he said in his post-match press conference.
