BRISBANE Lions coach Leigh Matthews has refused to condemn the practice of players "staging" for free kicks, after Collingwood defender Shane Wakelin admitted he took a dive in an attempt to milk a free kick from the umpires after Barry Hall's attempted strike on Saturday.

Matthews said the practice was no more than "gamesmanship".

"Every player who's ever played will try and milk a free kick if he can, that's normal, I don't think there's anything unusual about that," Matthews said.

"I would have thought every player who's ever played has tried to exaggerate contact, whether it be high contact, being held when you're not really being retarded — that's just part of the game. The umpires are there to be the independent decision maker on what is and what isn't (a free kick)."

Matthews said players needed to make sure they didn't deal themselves out of the contest in trying to attract the umpires' attention.

When asked to compare Hall's well-documented anger management issues with his own star forward Jonathan Brown — who made several trips to the tribunal earlier in his career — Matthews was quick to draw a distinction, comparing his power forward to a mostly forgotten animated duck.

"Jonathan's issues were largely just like Baby Huey, he didn't know his own strength, he wasn't thumping people," Matthews said. "He did what he had to do; worked out what you can do and what you can't do."

Baby Huey was a giant, clueless infant duckling created by Paramount Pictures in the 1950s. In 1993, Bill Clinton compared himself to the character, saying, "I'm a lot like Baby Huey. I'm fat. I'm ugly. But if you push me down, I keep coming back".

■Nigel Lappin's glittering AFL career is hanging in the balance with Matthews admitting the Lions were clueless whether the frustrated veteran would return from injury.

Triple-premiership winner Lappin has been sidelined for 11 weeks with a lingering Achilles tendon problem that is showing no signs of improving.

The 32-year-old, Brisbane's oldest player, is off-contract at the end of the season.

"Nigel's in that frustrating time where nothing seems to be improving greatly so it's a very difficult time for Nigel," the Brisbane coach said.

"He'll try and push through, but really what the weeks hold for Nigel unfortunately is uncertain at the moment because it's been a long time since he played."

Matthews said the decision whether to draw a line through Lappin's season was not his but in the hands of the midfielder and the club's medical staff.

Lappin knows 2008 may be his last if his ankle dramas persist but is determined to repay the Lions.

"If my Achilles is right, then the rest is OK," Lappin said.

With AAP