Adam Cooney has blasted the AFL and their umpires for decisions made towards the end of the Hawthorn-Western Bulldogs game on Sunday afternoon.
Hawthorn were penalised for two incidents involving Jaeger O'Meara and James Sicily, with the majority of the AFL community labelling both free kicks as soft and harsh.
The second free kick led to a Josh Schache goal that put the Dogs in front, with both penalties coming at important moments in the game.
Cooney lead the chorus on Monday night, slamming the men in green for their crunch-time decisions.
“They were disgusting decisions,” Cooney told SEN’s Time On.
“If they’re going to pay a free-kick like that, imagine how many a game there would be.
“I would have been pushed in the chest 100 times each game when I played. An open-palm push to the chest with very, very minimal force, the Jaeger O’Meara one, it was almost embarrassing.
“The Sicily one certainly was embarrassing. Again, how many times do we see a little push and shove in the goal square between a forward and a defender.
“If we’re going to start paying them, people will turn away in their droves.”
Hawthorn midfielder Isaac Smith weighed in on the debate on Monday night on The Oval Office, suggesting it was a harsh penalty to pay for such small contact.
“If I got shown vision pre-game and that was said that it was going to be a free kick then I would’ve been quite shocked,” he told The Oval Office.
“I was in camera but I didn’t actually see it on game day but I saw the vision this morning.
“I was a little bit shocked but if they’re the rules, they’re the rules and we’re going to have to play to it.
“But I don’t want to see games, especially later in the year, decided by free kicks like that.”
On Monday night, the AFL confirmed both decisions were correct.
