Essendon AFL forward Angus Monfries admits he took a dive in the incident which led to Hawthorn's Jordan Lewis receiving a two-match ban for head-butting.

Lewis was suspended following the round-14 clash and is eligible to return in round 18 when the Hawks play Melbourne at the MCG on July 24 following the bye.

Controversy followed Monfries when he was involved in an incident with Richmond's Jake King last weekend.

The Bomber threw his head back as if he had been punched hard in the face leaving King to face an anxious wait before the match review panel deemed it was not a reportable offence.

Monfries' admission came on the same day Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade accused the Bombers forward of being the biggest stager in the game.

"Jordan Lewis was really stiff to get the weeks he did," Monfries told reporters on Thursday.

"I definitely took a dive. It was in front of goal and I was trying to get a goal.

"There was nothing much in the Jake King incident either.

"It's something I've probably got to look at as well. It's something I need to address."

Eade called on umpires to take a harder line.

"He (Monfries) is the best out of the competition," Eade said.

"Everyone actually pushes the boundaries, so it's up to the adjudicators to work on that.

"If people can get away with it, they can get away with it."

Eade said there was plenty of staging going on during his playing days in the 1970s and 80s.

"Players were doing it then too and it's human nature," he said.

"If they get free kicks from it, they're going to keep doing it.

"It's a matter of maybe umpires being a bit tougher and sterner in those situations."

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said the league had ruled out penalising Monfries under its anti-staging rule.

Keane said the matter had been dealt with by the tribunal at the time and was now closed.

The AFL's rule allows for a player to be reported and fined if caught staging, but this applies only when a player reacts despite no contact being made, Keane told the afl.com.au website.

North Melbourne's Brad Scott said the tactic of staging for free kicks was unsavoury.

"The match review panel now take more notice than ever of the opposing club medical report," Scott said.

"That's what they really should focus on, focus on the vision, focus on the medical report and players probably make contact look a little bit more severe than it was to try to get a free kick and that's been happening for a long time.

"The AFL have tried to stamp that out. I don't think we've been too successful in doing it, but I think everyone agrees that it's unsavoury in AFL footy to stage for free kicks.

"Part of the appeal of AFL footy is that it's a brutal contest and you love competitors playing it, so you don't like people playing for free kicks or making contact appear more severe than it is."

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