sport news Footy legend Dermott Brereton unleashes on AFL stars who commit 'weak, cheating ... trends now Footy legend Dermott Brereton unleashes on AFL stars for act that is a 'blight on the game': 'I got called a weak, cheating dog when I did it' AFL legend condemned new trend of players milking free kicks Labelled unsportsmanlike conduct a 'blight on the game' Dermott Brereton wants AFL stars fined for play-acting By Andrew Prentice For Daily Mail Australia Published: 08:21 BST, 2 June 2023 | Updated: 08:21 BST, 2 June 2023 Viewcomments Former AFL hardman Dermott Brereton has called out some current stars in the code for milking free kicks. Labelling the on-field conduct a 'blight on the game', the Hawthorn champion wants fines to be enforced for the unsportsmanlike behaviour. 'It takes courage to play Australian rules football in any era,' the five-time premiership winner said. 'And I'll say this ... the one thing that our era [1980s/90s] was irked by was people flopping, people staging for the benefit of either a free kick or 50-metre penalty. 'I can remember doing it myself as a young man thinking, 'I'd get a free kick out of this', and respected opponents standing over me while I was pretending to be hurt. Former AFL hardman Dermott Brereton has called out some current stars in the code for milking free kicks Brereton was renowned for his aggressive style and play and wants players caught conning the umpire to be fined by the AFL (pictured, in his playing days for Hawthorn) 'They were yelling and screaming at me, 'Get up, you weak, cheating dog' … with a few adjectives thrown in. 'The insult hurt so much that I just said to myself 'I can't be doing that ever again'.' Brereton added feigning injuries in front of the umpire 'needs to stamped out if we want our game to flourish' before adding 'it's just nonsense and an awful way to go about your craft as a professional footballer.' The Hawks legend had a high profile supporter in Richmond star Jack Riewoldt. Riewoldt, who has won three flags with the Tigers, said he has noticed some rivals from other clubs this season 'play a bit possum', a reference to play acting on the field. 'I reckon players might be cottoning on to this, and starting to play a bit possum,' he said on Fox Footy. 'I reckon [some] players are looking for free kicks.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility