Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has called out umpires for failing to award Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan free kicks despite the 19-year-old continuously getting tackled high.
Ginnivan’s technique of drawing high contact has been highly publicised in recent weeks as umpires have seemed to stop paying free kicks to the youngster.
Given that Ginnivan was receiving free kicks for identical acts earlier in the season, Cornes believes the AFL has changed their interpretation of high tackle free kicks without telling the fans.
“We’re the only league in the world that changes (rule) interpretation midyear and doesn’t tell the fans,” Cornes said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
“Putting Jack Ginnivan on the map for the different interpretations of when he’s getting a free kick and when he’s not.
“What a year it’s been, all of these (incidents) were free kicks at the start of the year.
“How can you have competition that pays (high free kicks) for two-thirds of the season and decides, ‘No, that’s not a free kick anymore’?
“The confusion that it must be, I know Collingwood fans are tearing their hair out.”
Cornes believes the media attention surrounding the goal sneak and his tactics have caused umpires to shy away from paying him free kicks.
“Now it’s been in the news all week, that’s not a free kick even though it’s been paid all year,” Cornes said.
“I just find it really frustrating that as a league we change interpretations, don’t tell anyone and just because it’s in the news, he (Ginnivan) doesn’t get them (free kicks).”
Referencing multiple incidents in Saturday’s win over Adelaide where Ginnivan wasn’t given free kicks, Cornes was confused as other players in the exact same match were for similar acts.
“Looking at some other players yesterday in the same game that got free kicks for exactly the same thing, Chayce Jones ducks into a tackle and gets a free kick.
“Just because Scott Pendlebury is a good bloke and a star player, he ducks into a free kick and gets it whereas Jack Ginnivan doesn’t.
“The confusion around this rule continues to boggle the mind, really.
“I just think the AFL needs to clear this up and alert fans on how it’ll be interpreted.”
Ginnivan is averaging 1.73 free kicks for per game in 2022, the equal 27th most in the competition.
"How can you have a competition that pays this for two-thirds of the season and then all of a sudden decides that's not a free kick anymore."@kanecornes calls out the change in interpretation towards high tackles, particularly around Jack Ginnivan. #9AFLSFS | Channel 9 pic.twitter.com/NIvlrfcNhI
— Footy on Nine (@FootyonNine) July 17, 2022