AFL kiss between TV host and footy legend sparks furore: ‘It is a first’

Brisbane Lions superstar Lachie Neale and Channel 7 presenter Abbey Holmes shared a quick kiss after the match that caused a stir, with some saying it crossed a line.

The kiss took place earlier this month when the Lions played the Bulldogs in Round 13, with the act not attracting too much attention at the time.

Holmes interviewed an exhausted Neale as they both leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek after their conversation was over.

The pair, who are friends off the field, have sparked much debate over whether the kiss was inappropriate or not.

“You assume they know each other very well,” AFL legend Leigh Matthews said on 3AW.

‘Because normally you only give a kiss on the cheek to someone you know very well, otherwise you shake their hand.

‘I would shake hands with a woman I don’t know very well. The kiss on the cheek is normally for someone you know very well. I don’t know how well they know each other.

“I assume they know each other very well, otherwise it’s something very special and that’s why we’re talking about it.”

Matthews went on to say that he had never seen the move after a match before.

‘It’s a first. I’ve never seen it before. Have you ever seen that? That’s why we’re talking about it. It’s quite unusual.’

Journalist Kate Halfpenny commented on the kiss in a recent column in The age.

“The interaction was quick and not annoying, but it was weird enough for my husband and I to say, ‘Wait, what?'” she wrote.

Lions star Lachie Neale (pictured) is friends with Holmes off the pitch

‘This was rare, TV talent kissed or was kissed as a sign of farewell. You have to go back to Bec Judd who deflected from Tony Jones’ attempted hug in 2016 after her latest news bulletin.’

Halfpenny wondered if it was a good idea to kiss friends at work.

“But even if they’re best friends, is it a good idea to say hasta manana with a kiss when they’re both at work? For me it was too familiar,” she wrote.

“Place and time, folks. You’re making money from this chat, so keep it classy, ​​San Diego.

‘Intrigued, I watched the kiss a few more times. Neither side seemed uncomfortable.

‘The incident has not caused a stir in the media or on social media. But at a time when former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales is facing sexual assault charges for his creepy unsolicited kiss on World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso, I think it’s worth asking the kiss question.”

Footy fans online have also made their views known on the issue, with opinions divided on the subject.

‘Very inappropriate for the female interviewer to kiss Lachie Neale. What would happen if a male interviewer did this to a woman? Appalling unprofessional behavior from the female interviewer,” one fan posted on X.

“Did Abbey Holmes state that Lachie Neal’s kiss on the cheek was inappropriate or offensive? No? Stfu and myob,” another posted.