Melbourne recruit Harley Bennell has been racially abused on social media
Melbourne recruit Harley Bennell has been racially vilified on social media on a video celebrating his first goal as a Demon. It’s the latest instance of racism towards an Indigenous AFL player, and the club has responded.
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Melbourne has vehemently condemned the racial vilification of recruit Harley Bennell on social media.
A post from the official AFL Twitter page, celebrating Bennell’s first goal as a Demon in the dying stages of their 17-point win, was met with racial abuse from a commenter about his Indigenous heritage.
The ugly racial slur directed at Bennell is considered offensive to Indigenous Australians.
The tweet has since been deleted.
Melbourne chairman Glenn Bartlett said the club stands with Bennell and outlined that culprits must be held accountable for this “abhorrent” behaviour.
“There is just no place for this racist behaviour in our game and in society,” Bartlett said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that comments of this nature continue to be made, and it’s important that we, as a football community, don’t shy away from what’s right.
“We all have a responsibility to call this behaviour out and hold these individuals to account. It is simply not okay to remain silent.
“I am already in discussions and intend to follow up key Federal and Victorian Government Ministers to explore what can be done to strengthen laws to make people accountable and stamp out this abhorrent behaviour.
What a moment!
— AFL (@AFL) July 11, 2020
Harley Bennell gets his first goal as a Demon â¤ï¸#AFLDeesSuns pic.twitter.com/x9MaMNcMY8
“The club stands with Harley, and strongly against the vilification of our people. We will continue to drive the importance of listening, learning and educating.”
AFLPA boss Paul Marsh slammed the remark saying that this “crap” happens on a weekly basis.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go one week without this abhorrent, racist crap! And for that one week to become two, then three,” Marsh tweeted.
Indigenous star Eddie Betts declared last month he was “sick and tired” of the racism that he and other players in the competition are subjected to following the latest instance of racist abuse directed towards him.
DEES ‘ROLLING’ AFTER WIN FOR SUPPORTERS IN LOCKDOWN
Glenn McFarlane
A relieved Simon Goodwin last night dedicated the Demons’ 17-point win over Gold Coast to the club’s families, friends, players and fans bunkered down in Melbourne, saying they had provided the inspiration.
Acknowledging the “noise” of external pressure heaped on his under-fire club going into the contest, Goodwin said he couldn’t have been more proud of his group for holding off the Suns in a tight encounter.
“I am incredibly proud of our club,” Goodwin said.
“There has been a lot going in the last three or four weeks in the game and there has been some noise about how we have played. But, like every club, we are dealing with a lot.
“To pick up and move to Sydney and (have a) six-day turnaround with the scrutiny we have had … it was an outstanding performance.”
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Goodwin, who had come under fire during the week for his game-plan and his players’ execution of it, said it was encouraging to provide some joy for Demons’ fans in locked-down Melbourne.
“We have got players back at the hotel (in Sydney), we have got players we left back in Melbourne,” he said.
“We have fans who are struggling back in Melbourne in lockdown. We wanted to play for them.
“We wanted to play for our families, our friends and our supporters (back in Victoria).”
Melbourne won the clearance count by 10 and the inside 50 count by 13 – their best differentials this year – as Max Gawn dominated the ruck and Jack Viney, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver got their hands dirty.
The loss of Tom McDonald early after copping a poke in the eye challenged the Demons, but Sam Weideman provided a good contest with two goals and Oscar McDonald’s return freed up Jake Lever in defence.
It wasn’t a polished performance, Goodwin conceded, but it was enough to silence the critics for at least a week.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
“We are certainly by no means perfect, but from where we are at 2-3, our season is rolling now.
“There has been noise, there has been plenty of opinions from a lot of people, but we will keep focused.
“The leaders were absolutely outstanding – Gawn, Viney and (Jake) Lever.”
Goodwin said Suns debutant Izak Rankine had made an outstanding start to his AFL career after kicking three goals and threatening to steal the game off the Demons.
“I saw his draft tape (in 2018), he is going to be an incredible player,” he said.
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said turnovers and mistakes cost his young side dearly when it mattered.
“Sometimes we tried to bite off more than we can chew, and good teams make you pay,” Dew said.
“There were periods when we matched them, but the turnovers in the end (cost the team).”
He said he knew Rankine would make an instant impact from his first game, saying: “I want to make sure our supporters get really excited about what he can bring to the footy club.”
“To step in and have six shots at goal is quite exciting for him.”
HOW IT PLAYED OUT
BROTHERLY LOVE
Demon defender Michael Hibberd kicked his first goal in two years before paying an emotional tribute to his late brother Geoffrey.
Hibberd got a 50m penalty during the second term. He never looked missing, then kissed his black arm band and pointed to the sky in honour of his Big Brother.
Almost every teammate ran to Hibberd.
His 33-year-old brother disappeared while fishing with a friend off Victoria’s coast in April.
At the time, Hibberd wrote of his pain on social media: “I idolised you! You were my hero. You still are!!”
There was plenty of emotion also when Harley Bennell kicked a goal at the end of the game, in his second game back from career-threatening injuries.
What a way to kick your first goal!
— AFL (@AFL) July 11, 2020
Izak Rankine is going to be special 💫#AFLDeesSuns pic.twitter.com/oLaLAmarmb
TOP RANKINE, TOP MISS
Rankine’s three goals were all exquisite.
The first came when he pirouetted past James Harmes to slot through a stunning early goal.
He turned it up another notch for his second as he snuck through heavy traffic and threw his foot out for a freakish major in the third term.
Then another in the last term almost got the Suns off the canvas.
If Rankine’s three goals were goal of the week contenders, Petracca provided “the miss of the round”.
In the goalsquare during the second term, he had an “air shot”, missing the ball.
It was “like Percy Jones”, Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon said, casting back to the Carlton big man’s infamous goal line miss during the 1980s in the old Army Reserve Cup.
MAY V KING
It was the match-up footy fans wanted for perverse reasons as much as anything else.
Ben King could have been wearing a Melbourne jumper if it hadn’t been for a bold, risky Demons strategy to bring in Steven May from the Suns in late 2018.
The Dees gave up pick six for May and Kade Kolodashnij; the Suns gratefully accepted King, who looks like being one of the gun forwards of the future.
You can’t judge that decision on this game, but the Suns would be happy with their transaction going forward.
It was a good duel to watch with King kicking one goal, while May still had plenty of the ball.
May had to be used forward at times, given Tom McDonald’s eye injury, but finished the game in defence.
MELBOURNE 2.1 6.5 8.8 12.8 (80)
GOLD COAST 3.2 5.4 8.5 9.9 (63)
GOALS
Melbourne: Fritsch 2, Weideman 2, Petracca 2, Harmes, Salem, Hibberd, Melksham, Hannan, Bennell
Gold Coast: Rankine 3, Ellis 2, Weller, King, Fiorini, Ainsworth
BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Viney, Petracca, Oliver, Langdon, Salem
Gold Coast: Miller, Ballard, Rankine, Greenwood, Lukosius
VOTES
3: Max Gawn (Melbourne)
2: Jack Viney (Melbourne)
1: Touk Miller (Gold Coast)
INJURIES
Melbourne: McDonald (right eye)
Gold Coast: Holman (ribs)
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RANKINE’S UNFORGETTABLE DEBUT GOAL
– Dan Batten
Expectation was heaped on Suns excitement machine Izak Rankine in the lead-up to his highly-anticipated debut, and he delivered with his very first touch of the footy.
Rankine joined the first kick, first goal club with a moment of brilliance that epitomised why he was taken with the third selection of the 2018 national draft.
Paddling a ball in front of him in front of a pack inside 50, Rankine schooled Demon James Harmes with a miraculous baulk, turning onto his right foot and bending it through from 30m out.
His highlights reel continued from there with a series of stunning spin moves in congestion, showing immense impact per possession in tallying six touches for 41 KFC SuperCoach points.