MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos says he's "staggered" defender Dean Terlich wasn't awarded a free kick after Bulldogs forward Liam Jones collected him in the head with a bump.
The incident leaves Jones in hot water, after a week where the bump has dominated headlines with Demon Jack Viney successfully appealing a two-game ban from the AFL Tribunal.
Jones' shoulder made contact with Terlich's head in the third quarter of the Bulldogs' 16-point win over Melbourne on Saturday night at the MCG, with the defender left motionless for several minutes.
With the help of trainers, Terlich was able to walk from the ground but was substituted out of the game with concussion.
"I just get a little surprised [when] there's no free kick," Roos said after the game.
"I mean that's probably the biggest surprise for me. I'm pretty sure he got hit in the head because he came off concussed and couldn't go back on.
"It doesn't really worry me one way or another where it goes, I didn't have that good a look at it other than the fact that I know a player got taken high so surely it's got to be a free kick I would have thought.
"I'm absolutely staggered."
The Jones-Terlich incident is sure to be assessed by the Match Review Panel on Monday, with Hawthorn forward Jarryd Roughead also likely to come under scrutiny for his Friday night bump on Swan Ben McGlynn.
Viney's appeal drew widespread support from the AFL community and Roos admitted it was unprecedented in his time as coach.
And with the debate surrounding the bump set to continue this week, the former Sydney Swans coach emphasised the need for a clear distinction to be made between players who choose to bump, and those that are just protecting themselves by bracing.
"I think we've got to be really clear that we're really supportive of the bump rule and [Viney's case] was never about the bump," Roos said.
"I was just worried late in the week that people were saying you should be allowed to bump. Jack Viney did not bump and his case was about bracing himself for contact and I just hope that hasn't got lost in the whole week.
"We're 100 per cent supportive of the rule and as far as I'm concerned it's black and white. If you choose to bump and you have no alternative then you suffer the consequences and as a club we're supportive of that.
"I hope that's really clear as we move forward in this debate."
Liam Jones is likely to come under scrutiny for this bump on Demon Dean Terlich. Picture: AFL Media
