Blues vs Bombers LIVE: Power clubs chase vital MCG victory; MRO makes call on Stewart bump that hospitalised rival; Eagles surge ahead of Roos

Geelong vice captain Tom Stewart is free to play against Essendon on Saturday after his bone-rattling bump on Gold Coast’s Noah Anderson was scrutinised but cleared by the AFL’s match review officer.

Stewart bumped Anderson as they competed head-on for a ground ball in Geelong’s forward line early in the last quarter of Saturday’s game at GMHBA Stadium, which the Cats won, 9.7 (61) to 5.7 (37).

The heavy collision did not appear to collect Anderson in the head, but he hit the ground heavily and his head did strike the turf, while Stewart was able to keep his feet.

Decision time: MRO Michael Christian has ruled on Tom Stewart’s bump on Gold Coast skipper Noah Anderson. Credit: Fox Footy

Play was held up while Anderson was assessed by medical staff, before he jogged slowly off the ground.

He retreated to the bench, and was then taken down the race into the Gold Coast rooms. As he left the field, he was approached by a concerned couple in Gold Coast colours at the fence line. He had a short discussion with the pair, pointing to his ribs as the cause of his concern.

In clearing Stewart on Sunday afternoon, match review officer Michael Christian said in a statement released by the AFL: “It was the view of the MRO that Stewart’s actions were not unreasonable in the circumstances and did not constitute a reportable offence.”

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The Gold Coast captain was cleared of concussion after his head hit the ground following the body contact from Stewart, but was later taken to hospital for scans on his midriff.

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick said after the match he didn’t feel there was anything untoward in the bump from Stewart, who was given a four-match ban in 2022 for a nasty hit on Richmond’s Dion Prestia, coincidentally coached at that time by Hardwick.

“The game’s combative, accidents happen on the footy field. It’s one of those things,” Hardwick said.

“We’d love Noah to keep playing (but it’s) within the rules, still allowed to bump.

“It was a reasonable hit, a solid hit. He’s a big boy, Tom Stewart.

“But once again, we’ll make it very clear, it was chest. It wasn’t head or anything like that – no concussion.

“From our point of view he’ll just go there [hospital] and see what that comes back at.”

Geelong coach Chris Scott also used his post-match press conference to launch an impassioned defence of Stewart.

Scott insisted Stewart showed the appropriate duty of care to Anderson and was adamant there would have to be a fundamental shift in rules for the five-time All-Australian to face sanction over the bump.

“If it’s a protective action where contact’s unavoidable and you don’t get them in the head, then you’ve done everything you can,” Scott said after the match.

Heavy hit: Noah Anderson is attended to after he was crunched by star Cat Tom Stewart. Credit: Getty Images

“I sort of feel for Noah. Everyone loves him, he’s a gun player and it was pretty heavy contact to the ribs, but it was to the body.

“Stewy, I thought his duty of care to Noah was as good as it could have been, and he was good enough to hit him in the body.”

The Stewart bump on Anderson was a hot topic of discussion in the media analysis of the weekend’s matches on Saturday night and Sunday morning, with most pundits expecting Stewart to be cleared of wrongdoing.

Former Hawthorn and Gold Coast tough nut Campbell Brown described the collision as “a good football act by both players”.

“[In] any era, that’s just a great bump,” Brown said.

Former Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt told Fox Footy Stewart was “walking a fine line” by choosing to bump.

“Maybe Chris Scott would be having a word to Tom Stewart about it,” Riewoldt said.

“Why would you choose to bump? I wouldn’t risk it. In this day and age, you choose to bump you’re in the opposition’s hands there. If you get them high by accident, head clash, anything like that you’re looking at three weeks minimum.”

In discussion with Riewoldt, North Melbourne premiership player David King said the uncertainty about whether Stewart had acted within the rules in the aftermath of the collision showed the AFL’s rules on bumping needed to be clarified.

“It’s too big of a risk,” King said on Fox Footy.

“You get it slightly wrong, you will get three weeks. You can’t control the outcome on the way in [to the collision].

“Tom hits with power. He is one of the great bumpers in our game – he is a weapon. But it is too big of a grey area now.”

With AAP

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