NRL veteran Cameron Smith said he would have pulled his teammate aside had they had a similar mid-match exchange like Eddie Betts and Sydney Stack did last round.
In the dying stages of the contest last Thursday night, Adelaide's Betts kicked a remarkable goal from the boundary line.
Game recognise game.
— AFL (@AFL) June 13, 2019
Sydney Stack shows his appreciation for Eddie's brilliance! #AFLCrowsTigers pic.twitter.com/nVWOdOdWho
It was here that Richmond's Stack approached Betts and gave him a quick embrace with a smile.
Tigers coach Damian Hardwick said that he did not have an issue with the exchange, while Stack simply said that he was "amazed" by the goal, adding that he would “always give sportsmanship to the opposition”.
Storm skipper Smith admitted that it was "pretty cool" to see, and could understand why it recieved widespread praise.
However, the two-time Dally M medallist said he wondered how the interaction affected Stack's teammates, saying he would have pulled a Storm player aside had they had a similar exchange.
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"I thought, ‘what’s his coach and his teammates going to say about that, would they be happy with that?’” Smith told SEN .
“Would I do it? I wouldn’t do it.
“I’d wait until after the game, when you’re saying congratulations.
“I’d probably go over and have a quick chat to him after the game and just say ‘mate, we don’t do that here’.
“There’s plenty of time post-match to talk about a goal or a try or whatever it is and (say) ‘hey mate, well done’.”
Smith's statements echoed that of Melbourne great Garry Lyon, who was critical of the exchange on Fox Footy.
“You’re on the yellow and black team, you can go and give him a kiss and a cuddle after,” Lyon said.
