Alastair Clarkson has responded to Tom Papley’s $500 staging fine, admitting he’s disappointed he put the spotlight on the Sydney forward in a post-match press conference last month.
Following Hawthorn’s loss to the Swans in Round 8, Clarkson said Papley “milks a free kick as well as anyone in the competition, and did so on this occasion again”.
After Papley accentuated contact in an incident against Collingwood on Thursday night and was subsequently fined, Clarkson was asked for his response ahead of Hawthorn’s clash against Fremantle on Monday.
"It's a difficult one. This has been going on since Adam was a boy, so I don't feel like it's a big issue," he told reporters.
"I'm disappointed that it's become a big issue because of what I said two weeks ago, but it just continues to highlight the difficulties.
"It's already a difficult game to umpire. I'm not sure what the answer is – I haven't thought deeply enough about it, because I don't think it's such a big issue.
"That's why I'm disappointed I put it on the radar, in a sense, in a moment of frustration immediately post that game."
In the same press conference, Clarkson admitted "I probably just dropped my guard a little bit" after his inflammatory comments directed at Papley.
