St Kilda’s Lance Collard has been found guilty after the AFL Tribunal ruled he used a homophobic slur during a Victorian Football League (VFL) match last month.
Collard denied calling an opponent a “f***ing f****t”, but the AFL Disciplinary Tribunal upheld the charge on Friday.
It will meet again next week to rule on the length of a suspension.
Background
Collard made his AFL debut in 2024 and has played 15 games since.
The 20-year-old has mainly featured in the VFL – the AFL’s second-tier competition.
He was also handed a six-game ban in 2024 after admitting to using homophobic slurs in a VFL match, with the sanction including mandatory Pride in Sport education.
What happened
Collard is accused of directing a homophobic slur at Frankston player and former teammate Darby Hipwell during a VFL match on 27 March.
The incident followed an earlier clash where Collard struck Jackson Voss with a swinging arm – a separate offence that resulted in a two-match ban, reduced from three. Collard is currently serving that ban.
The tribunal heard from Collard, Hipwell, teammate Bailey Lambert, umpire Sam Morgan, Pride Cup CEO Hayley Conway, and St Kilda’s Indigenous Player Development Manager Katrina Amon.
Collard has denied the allegation, maintaining he said “come here, maggot.”
His lawyers argued he had been charged under the wrong rule and pointed to his past cooperation, including pleading guilty in 2024.
The AFL has asked for a ten-week suspension if the tribunal is comfortably satisfied the slur was used.
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Proceedings stretched over two days before a verdict was released on Friday evening.
Comments
Leigh Ryswyk is the first male AFL player, past or present, to publicly come out as gay.
The former Brisbane Lions midfielder, who came out last month, told TDA: "Words really matter, even when they're said in the heat of competition they can reinforce exclusion and make sport feel unsafe for people who already feel like they don't belong."
Former West Coast player Mitch Brown, who became the first openly bisexual man in the AFL’s 129-year history in an interview with TDA last year, posted this on Instagram:
“If you’re a leader at the Saint Kilda Football Club, if you’re [senior coach] Ross Lyon, I would just engage the whole entire club in more education… It’s on you Ross.
“Show leadership, drive culture… And get some education regardless of this outcome.”
Past controversies
A string of players have been suspended over the past two seasons over their homophobic slurs, including Gold Coast’s Wil Powell, Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson, and West Coast’s Jack Graham.
Most recently, Adelaide’s Izak Rankine was banned for four matches over a “highly offensive homophobic slur,” including finals games.
Next steps
The Tribunal will now meet for a ‘sanction hearing’ to determine if Collard will face the potential ten-game suspension being proposed.
In a statement, St Kilda said it was “naturally disappointed” with the decision, stating it was “reviewing the tribunal’s written findings and will consider its position, including avenues of appeal. We will continue to support Lance throughout this process.”
The AFL also released a statement, saying it has “no tolerance for the use of homophobic language in our game”.
