IT'S A DIRTY WORDRICHMOND star Alex Rance says his "dive" was no worse than any other player attempting to win a free kick.
The All-Australian captain was widely criticised for theatrically going to ground in the Tigers' Dreamtime at the 'G win over Essendon three weeks ago.
Rance was adamant every player tried to "manipulate and accentuate" contact in order to win free kicks and didn't like being labelled for staging.
"It's hard when there's a lack of clarity ... staging is a bit of a dirty word in my mind," he told 5AA Radio.
"There's always parts of the game when players are trying to manipulate and accentuate contact - whether its raising an elbow to draw high contact or diving forward in a tackle - or something like that to draw free kicks.
"It was a little bit off that I became click bait for the past however long its been and then to bring Buddy into it as well. He's a champion of the game.
"Staging, for me, is a bit of a rank term for what is just accentuating and trying to draw a free kick."
Rance was fined for staging by the match review officer while Franklin was cleared.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-daily-get-all-the-latest-and-breaking-footy-news-for-friday-june-22-2018/news-story/aa254531fd71af9cb0e502b0a267ad5d
