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“I am worried we have gone way too far”: Why Cornes is worried following Aleer bump
Nicholas Quinlan • July 5th, 2025 6:35 pm
Kane Cornes has demanded that the AFL send out a statement regarding Leek Aleer's bump on West Coast’s Jack Hutchinson.
During the second quarter of the Giants’ 59-point victory against the Eagles on Friday night, Aleer chose to bump Hutchinson within West Coast’s forward 50 as both were contesting for the ball.
Aleer was deemed to have collided with Hutchinson’s head and thus saw a free kick go against Aleer, resulting in the Eagles kicking a goal off the back of it.
As a result of the decision, Cornes believes that the AFL must make a statement as to whether the decision made was correct or not.
“Leek Aleer executes the most perfect bump you have ever seen on Jack Hutchinson from the Eagles last night,” Cornes said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“And the umpire pays a free kick for being too high, (which) cost you a goal.
“Now, I’m hoping it was just a bad decision, but I have my suspicions that this is the path that we are going to go down, where any bump is now illegal.
“Now we’ve seen the AFL come out and release statements over poor umpiring decisions before. We saw it early on the year with Izak Rankine in a game on the Gold Coast, the AFL came out (with a statement).
“I want a statement on this one.
"Because I think this should send shudders through the game we’ve all loved, and the physicality that we love about our game. Where a perfectly executed bump when the ball is there, and he (Hutchinson) actually spills the ball. He (Aleer) couldn't have tackled him because he didn’t quite have the ball yet.
“He (Aleer) times it beautifully, the Giants would have run away with the footy. Instead, it’s a free kick, too high, goal against.
“I want a statement, and I want to know whether that was a poor decision or whether this is now the way the game is going, where any bump, even if it is the most fair bump when the ball is right there, effective, is now illegal.
“I am worried we have gone way too far.”
In the aftermath of the match, GWS coach Adam Kingsley believed that Aleer was unlucky to have the free kick paid against him.
"It wasn't for a kick in my view,” he said.
“I thought it was a fair bump that didn't hit his opponent in the head.
“(It) should have been play on".
