This was a showcase game. North Melbourne on top undefeated and Sydney in the top four. In the first half there were three free kicks for over the shoulder that came about from the tackled player dropping and throwing an arm up causing the tackler's arm to slip up over the shoulder. One went to a Sydney player and two to North Melbourne's Lindsay Thomas. One of Thomas' free kicks was gained by Thomas throwing himself backwards off the ground and under the arm of a Sydney player standing behind him. Both of Thomas' free kicks resulted in goals.

After the match the coaches of both teams mentioned the incidents. It isn't clear what prompted the coaches to draw attention to these incidents, but Thomas has had to deal with being called for staging in the past. According to North Melbourne's coach Brad Scott it was cowardly to name players. According to Scott the umpires were rewarding this behaviour and as long as they did players would keep trying to win free kicks in this way.

This was to be the football story of the week. Clever play or staging. Opinion was divided. It wasn't a good look. It looked like staging. It offended some sense of fairness. The main offenders were named. Young Toby Mclean from the Bulldogs was amongst them. The umpires it was claimed had no choice. Regardless of how it happens it is over the shoulder and that is a free kick. Leigh Matthews thought if the adjudication changed and head high contact was allowed in any circumstance it would be open season. Tacklers would find a way to whack the head of opposition players whilst making it look like the player they had whacked was trying to stage for a free kick. Former North Melbourne great Wayne Carey was upset by it being called ducking. If it was called ducking then it might offer a way out. Ducking is not allowed and a player can have a free kick given against them if they duck their head into an opposition player to try to draw head high contact. But Carey insisted it wasn't ducking. The player was dropping. It turns out that North Melbourne has actually been practising the technique. West Coast had stolen a game from them a couple of years ago in part due to employing this tactic so they were going to do the same to others. It is all about the winning. Daniel Wells said it was hard to do in a match. Kudos to Lindsay.

Clearly there was enough opposition to a crackdown from the past player chorus that nothing was going to be done officially. Maybe the attention given to the practice will see it subside somewhat. But clearly if it is allowed and a player wins a free kick in this way, especially at a crucial moment, the past players will opine 'well disguised'.

This went on in a week when Real Madrid played Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Final. Real Madrid's Pepe, a serial offender, again put on a display of staging that should have been embarrassing to all associated with the game and the sport. For some it was, but Real won. To most that was all that mattered. From top to bottom shame is in short supply; winning is everything.

p.s. Round 11 and Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson called on the AFL to stop referees giving free kicks to players deliberately putting their heads in harms way. This came after Hawthorn first gamer Kade Stewart recieved a free kick with a resulting goal. Clarkson said he was not coaching or instructing his players to try and draw free kicks in this way, but contended all players were conscious of the possibility. He went to say it was dangerous. There was no doubt the Melbourne players believed it was not the way the game should be played and let Kade know how they felt about what he had done. The umpire involved, Jordan Bannister, took some of the sting out of the issue by claiming it was an incorrect decision; a shit decision. This was backed up by the AFL. Kade had ducked and ducking should result in a play on call by the umpire. Clarkson offered a compromise. The AFL should address this matter at season's end.