Mark Robinson: If not the AFL, Port Adelaide must stand down Jeremy Finlayson this week

The AFL was too forgiving with Alastair Clarkson’s conduct in pre-season, now it’s time to put a stop to the warnings and the excuses and suspend Jeremy Finlayson, writes Mark Robinson.

Jeremy Finlayson has issued an apology for a homophobic slur aimed at an Essendon player at this weekends Gather Round game. Picture: PAFC

The AFL was too forgiving with Alastair Clarkson and now can’t shirk its responsibility and allow Jeremy Finlayson to play this week.

If it did, it would be batting 0-2 in the homophobia game, which is a scoreboard not to be proud of.

It has to suspend him.

If it’s not the AFL, then Port Adelaide must stand down its player.

That might be an even stronger message, a club placing precedence on setting standards ahead of playing its best team against Fremantle this weekend.

Port Adelaide president David Koch got it wrong. His defence of Finlayson was blokey, bush-league culture.

That Finlayson called an Essendon player a “f****t” cannot be excused just because, Koch argued, it was said in the field of battle.

Jeremy Finlayson must be suspended. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The field of battle is in Gaza, or Ukraine, and not during the second quarter of a footy game in Adelaide on a Friday night.

As a club leader and a decent human, it wasn’t Koch’s finest moment.

Has he even thought that possibly, maybe, there is a gay player in the Port Adelaide playing cohort who is appalled at what Finlayson said. And is now too scared to show himself – if he was thinking about it – when his own club is making excuses for homophobic slurs.

Further, as colleague Lauren Wood wrote on X last night: “a fair contingent of AFLW players - including at Port - are members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Their own AFLW senior coach, even.”

I’m with Robbo on this one. Further, a fair contingent of #AFLW players - including at Port - are members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Their own W senior coach, even. Can’t imagine what the last few days has been like for them. https://t.co/qrCIYsVpro

— Lauren Wood (@LaurenHeraldSun) April 8, 2024

Clearly, after Koch’s comments, the AFL can’t trust Port Adelaide to act accordingly.

We’re not sure there’s trust in the AFL to act accordingly, either.

Clarkson was fined $20,000 and received a suspended two-week sentence.

Some senior media people at the time queried whether “c***sucker”’, which is what Clarkson called St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster, was even homophobic.

Now, there are claims that Clarkson was lucky to be spared suspension.

The North Melbourne coach was lucky.

Now we’ve got the “F” word.

The major issue with both those comments, other than them being juvenile and unbecoming for sporting professionals, is that the comments were directed at players who may or may not be gay.

Alastair Clarkson was lucky to avoid suspension. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/AFL Photos/Getty Images)

Does it even matter?

The Essendon player’s name can never be publicly released because mud sticks, even if it’s not true, and the gutter rats out there will be relentless with their ridicule.

That’s an unintended consequence of a dumb comment. Rumours spawn and then spew. And an innocent Essendon player potentially is targeted.

If the player is gay, what gives Finlayson the right to attempt to attack him for his sexuality?

Before the outraged start banging on about it being a woke world, the test is to walk into your own workplace and call your colleague a “f…. t” and see how the next 10 minutes plays out.

You’d imagine it’s not really great for you.

The AFLPA is mostly silent on matters pertaining to poor player behaviour, which is curious, because it’s always rifle-fire quick to send out missives on players being racially abused by fans.

David Koch defended Finlayson on Sunday. Supplied

It can borrow a Ross Lyon-ism: Condemn the action, support the player.

Instead, the wagons are circled.

Rugby League has its critics because of the dingbat behaviour of some of its players, but on homophobia, it is steadfast.

In April, 2022 the league suspended New Zealand Warrior Marcelo Montoya for four games for labelling a North Queensland rival with the same word Finlayson used.

This is the AFL’s moment to be equally as forthright.

No more warnings. And no more excuses.