Kane Cornes claims that Collingwood’s young star, Nick Daicos, is treated differently by AFL umpires due to a “superstar tax.”
Cornes made these remarks following a dramatic and controversial ending to the Magpies’ game against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium. Collingwood narrowly escaped with a 18.11 (119) to 19.4 (118) victory despite a strong challenge from North Melbourne.
With just over three minutes left in the game, Collingwood’s Bobby Hill took an impressive mark and kicked a goal, putting his team ahead by two points. Shortly after, commentators suggested that North Melbourne deserved a free kick when Daicos seemed to dispose of the ball incorrectly while trying to break through two defenders. Despite recent strictness on penalizing incorrect disposal, the umpires did not call a foul. North Melbourne managed to score a behind but couldn’t secure another goal to win.
Cornes believes that if any player other than Daicos had been involved, the umpire would have called a foul. “Nick Daicos is umpired differently,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast. “There is undoubtedly a superstar tax when it comes to umpiring. I’ve had this theory for years, even from my playing days, that the best players get more favorable treatment from umpires.”
He added, “This isn’t a knock on Nick, it’s a knock on how he’s adjudicated. In 50-50 calls, he more often gets the benefit. The incident late in the game was clearly holding the ball inside forward 50. If it was any other player, not a superstar, that free kick would have been paid against him.”
Daicos is widely regarded as one of the top young players in the competition, alongside West Coast’s Harley Reid.
North Melbourne also suffered another missed call later in the game. They should have received a 50-metre penalty that would have put Bailey Scott in a position to likely win the game. As a result, North Melbourne remains at the bottom of the AFL ladder with just one win in 2024.
