Richmond star Nick Vlastuin has hit out at suggestions that the knee injury which caused his substitution against Carlton was illegitimate and tactical.
Vlastuin was taken off in the third quarter, with his replacement Jack Ross having a strong final quarter in the Tigers' 25-point win to open the season.
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While Vlastuin's knee was heavily strapped after the match, the timing of Richmond's substitution, which came after Carlton had brought on Oscar McDonald in place of the injured Jack Silvagni, was questioned after the match.
However, Vlastuin issued an emphatic response to those doubting the legitimacy of his knee injury, calling them "idiots".
"I seriously couldn't walk up and down the stairs, I couldn't bend my knee," he told reporters on Friday.
"I had to get my mate to put on my socks and shoes this morning. If they want me to play out the game, then they're stupid."
The 26-year-old defender did admit that he would have likely played through the pain barrier if the substitute rule had not been in place.
"I don't know, they probably would've jabbed it, strapped it back up and it maybe would have put it more at risk," he said.
"With the sub there we were just able to make the call early."
Vlaustin's stinging rebuke came after AFL greats Garry Lyon and Jonathan Brown raised suspicions.
"You just wonder whether you're sitting in the (Richmond) coaches box, McDonald has a big impact and they go hey, their sub's on, get ours on. (If) we've got no injury – find one'", Lyon said on Fox Footy's coverage.
"As if the coaches weren't going to exploit that rule. This is unbelievable," Brown added.
"I feel for both doctors already, especially the Richmond doctor with supposedly a corked knee for Nick Vlastuin.
"If he plays next week there's uproar. Straight away in Round 1 its been exploited that rule."
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