Kade Stewart Biography

Kade Stewart signs a new one-year deal with Hawthorn.

Stewart has made a big impression in his first season at the club, breaking through for his debut in round 11 and playing three matches.

"I was just focusing on this year and seeing what happened. Obviously as a rookie you get a one-year contract, so I was really focusing on letting my footy do the talking to see where that took me," he said.

"It’s been really big (this year). Coming from the WAFL and then half-way through the year you’re on the senior list and playing your first game, it has come really quickly.

"I was really excited to have that opportunity and hopefully I can stay consistent until the end of the year."

AFL umpire Jordan Bannister takes to Twitter to admit he made a mistake during the Hawks' clash with Melbourne.

Bannister concedes he paid an incorrect free kick to Hawk Kade Stewart after the debutant ducked into a James Harmes tackle during the fourth quarter of the game, with the scores level.

The decision created widespread discussion on social media, but the experienced umpire nipped the issue in the bud by acknowledging via his Twitter account that it was a "s*** free".

"We average a couple of errors a game & always try to learn from errors," Bannister tweeted.

AFL umpires coach Hayden Kennedy says he was surprised by Bannister's decision to publicize his mistake.

"It was great he was able to do that (and) stop the conversations that were going on," Kennedy said.

"We do make a fair few mistakes each week, so we don't want the (umpires) every time we make a mistake to tweet out that 'I apologise'.

"We don't want to make a habit of that, but I'm happy with it."

Kade Stewart makes his AFL debut for Hawthorn at the MCG with 16 disposals (8 kicks and 8 handballs), 2 marks, 9 tackles and a goal in a 18-point win over Melbourne.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has joined the growing chorus of coaches calling for the AFL to crack down on players drawing high contact, following another controversial free kick in the Hawks' win over Melbourne.

The issue reared its head again, with Hawthorn debutant Kade Stewart awarded a free kick in the last term for a high tackle, after appearing to drive his head into Melbourne's James Harmes.

The decision incensed the Demons' players, and several remonstrated with Stewart after he kicked a behind to put the Hawks in front by one point.

"I hope it's done by the end of the year," Clarkson said.

"[AFL football operations manager] Mark [Evans] has been out there saying we don’t want to make the head a free hit, but at the moment players are using their heads as an opportunity to win a free kick and that is what's dangerous, very, very dangerous.

"We've done some really good things in the game to protect guys from injury. But I think this one about the head at the moment … it's not protecting the head because players are actually putting their heads in a position where it can get whacked. That is going to be dangerous at some point in time."