St Kilda has successfully trimmed Lance Collard’s nine-match suspension for his use of a homophobic slur.
Collard was issued a nine-match suspension after the tribunal found him guilty of “conduct unbecoming” by calling his Frankston opponent a “f***ing f*****”.
The 21-year-old argued he called former Sandringham teammate Darby Hipwell a “maggot”.
After another marathon appeal, Collard’s suspension was reduced to four weeks with two of those suspended to the end of the year.
Collard was suspended for six matches in 2024 for using the same homophobic slur.
Michael Borsky KC – Collard’s defence – this week argued the comment which was recorded or cause offence to Hipwell is distant from the conduct unbecoming rule.
Borsky later argued a portion of Collard’s evidence was received improperly by the tribunal panel.
During last week’s tribunal, Borsky said his client was “jostled, roughed up and verbally abused” by Frankston players.
He went on to call a suspension of that magnitude “unfairly punitive” and a potentially “sliding doors” decision that could ruin Collard’s life.
Throughout both appeals, Borsky said the punishment was excessive to other incidents in the game.
Two of Collard’s nine matches were suspended as he was already serving a two-game penalty for striking in the same match.
Borsky last week requested any new suspension should run concurrently with his existing ban, as the initial hit and subsequent melee triggered the slur.
A player has never been hit with a ban of this length for a homophobic slur before, which was noted by Borksy in his original defence.
The APLA wrote a letter to the tribunal panel, which was read silently by each panellist before it deliberated his sanction.
AFLPA chief executive James Gallagher released a statement last Wednesday, in part saying it would continue to support Collard.
“The industry remains aligned in wanting to rid the game of homophobia, but this process again highlights the need for a more effective and united approach,” Gallagher said.
“The Tribunal has, rightly, acknowledged that ‘issues such as racism and homophobia are difficult and sensitive issues and the manner of dealing with them is not enhanced if the starting point is a fierce debate over whether the words were used’.”
