AFL round 12: Charlie Cameron’s embarrassing error after unprovoked taunt

Brisbane Lions superstar Charlie Cameron copped a heavy dose of karma after he taunted a North Melbourne rival in front of goal.

Brisbane Lions superstar Charlie Cameron copped a heavy dose of karma after he taunted a North Melbourne rival in front of goal.

Brisbane Lions forwards Charlie Cameron was made to look foolish after missing a free kick 15 metres from the goalposts during Saturday afternoon’s match against North Melbourne.

However, Cameron’s error was only exacerbated by his unprovoked taunt of an opposition player before he attempted the kick.

During the round 12 clash at Metricon Stadium, both sides struggled to convert early opportunities, with no majors in the opening ten minutes.

Brisbane half forward Daniel McStay booted the Sherrin inside 50 towards Cameron, who claimed a classy mark after jumping on the shoulders of Kangaroos defender Ed Vickers-Willis.

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The 26-year-old opted to offer his rival a few words of advice, giving Vickers-Willis some lip as he returned to his feet.

However, the unwarranted sledge backfired immediately — Cameron missed the regulation shot at goal, with the Sherrin sailing right of the centre posts.

“If you’re gonna talk, you’ve got to finish the conversation,” Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson said on Fox Footy.

“Come on Charlie.”

Australian comedian Dave Hughes called out Cameron for his “unnecessary” taunting on Twitter: “The taunting trend in the AFL is embarrassing. Charlie Cameron just took a screamer, unnecessarily mocked his opponent, and then missed from 15m out.”

Earlier this week, Hughes pleaded for the AFL to resolve the contentious holding the ball rule.

Charlie Cameron has kicked 20 goals this season.

AFL Live Scores: Round 12 match centres

The Lions were unable to score a goal until McStay broke the shackles just before the first interval. Despite an underwhelming performance, Brisbane secured a narrow one-point victory on the Gold Coast, climbing up to second spot on the AFL ladder.

Cameron ended the fixture with one behind, five disposals and three kicks.

The small forward was battling a knee injury throughout the match, but North Melbourne legend David King argued keeping him on the field was a worthwhile risk.

“They wouldn’t have taken any risk with him, there’s no doubt about that,” King explained on Fox Footy.

“Medically he is right to play, there might be a slight issue there, but you know what in AFL football you very rarely get to play at 100 per cent fitness.

“For me, this was the Brisbane Lions coaching staff saying we can’t have you being the cherry on top of the cake all the time, sometimes you’ve got to play injured and sometimes you’ve got to play banged up.

“Today, he waltzed around and he wasn’t interested. It was disappointing for a player they have invested a large contract in and with a significant finance attached.

“They need him to fulfil his obligations and today I thought he went, ‘It’s not for me today, I’m not right’, the team needs more than that.

“He’s got to push through, they wouldn’t risk a player of his calibre if he wasn’t right. I think it’s between the ears.”

Brisbane will enjoy an eight-day break before they face St Kilda at the Gabba next Sunday afternoon.

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