AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has taken a swipe at Shane Warne after the cricket legend slammed the current state of the game.

A passionate Warne told the Herald Sun that the AFL was losing its soul after both St Kilda’s Koby Stevens and North Melbourne’s Jarrad Waite were suspended for what he called “perfect, legitimate tackles” in the recently completed Round 7.

McLachlan defended the decisions, though, after both players were hit with two-match suspensions which were reduced to one with a guilty plea.

“He’s a St Kilda fan so he’s unhappy with [the punishment for] Koby Stevens,” McLachlan told 3AW Radio.

“It was a sling tackle — there were two movements and the guy was knocked out. We are unapologetic about protecting the head.”

St Kilda’s Koby Stevens takes down the Giants’ Nathan Wilson with a tackle that left the Giant dazed and the Saint suspended. Photo AAP / Julian Smith

McLachlan said Stevens’ tackle on GWS’ Nathan Wilson was definitely a sling tackle, which saw him charged with engaging in rough conduct, before questioning Warne’s motive.

“I reckon you can be really tough and make big strong tackles without two movements and smacking on the head, so they [players tackled] are dazed,” he added.

“I know he came back on, that player [Wilson], but under the technical definition of a sling tackle, that’s what it was.

“I think ‘Warnie’ might have some rose-coloured glasses on when he’s making assessment of a St Kilda decision.”

Warne played Under-19 and reserves football for St Kilda before embarking on a stellar cricket career that saw him claim 708 wickets in 145 Tests for Australia.

But he feels the game he fell in love with as a kid is not the same as it is now, and is adamant that “AFL should be a physical sport”.

He told the Herald Sun: “The game of football is no longer the game of football. It has evolved, but has it evolved into a better game?

“AFL is a tough game and I don’t believe we can keep stopping all the tough, hard things from the game.

“If Stevens had have half-tackled Wilson, and Wilson got the handball away and it turned into a goal, then ‘Richo’ [St Kilda coach Alan Richardson] drags him and says: ‘What was that rubbish?’

“We don’t want sling tackles because it’s a bad look and the kids think it’s cool and will emulate the AFL players, but with Stevens and Waite they weren’t double actions, they were perfect, legitimate tackles, ferocious, great tackles which we have been taught to apply from a young boy.”