North Shore footballer should be stood down following allegations of domestic violence

Protect or punish? Why the case of a local footballer facing serious domestic violence charges creates massive headaches for sporting clubs across the country.

North Shore footballer Joseph Salmon continues to play despite being charged with more than 30 domestic violence-related offences. Picture: Mark Wilson

Footy clubs are great places for redemption.

Countless are the tales of troubled teens and young men finding valuable mentors in local footy teams and of using the collective support of their teammates to steer them away from a potential life of crime.

Further, with match payments at local footy clubs often at very generous levels, the cash which can be made kicking leather on a Saturday can quickly set them up for highly successful careers.

It is arguably one of the most crucial roles local football clubs play in our society - providing both an outlet for the physical release of a week’s worth of tension in young men while also giving them a sense of belonging, of self-worth and of an embracing community.

Encouragingly, clubs are usually far more inclined to put a welcoming arm around stooped shoulders than push them out the door.

North Shore footballer Joseph Salmon is facing 27 charges of aggravated assault. Picture: Mark Wilson

Increasingly though it’s not just young men who footy clubs are welcoming.

Across the country and across all codes the growing numbers of females playing footy is bringing a welcome breath of fresh air to club culture.

Once very blokey events are now being organised with a lighter touch and many clubs are organising specific Ladies Day gatherings such as the one being hosted on April 20 by the North Shore Football Club in Geelong.

Touted as a day “that has been specifically designed to recognise and celebrate being a woman”, the club has “carefully curated a collaboration with Wathaurong to bring this event to life” and will “be sharing the exciting news of the soon-to-reopen $1.6m Wathaurong new Youth Centre/Hub”.

North Shore Football Club referred to Joseph Salmon while promoting its Ladies Day on April 20. Picture: North Shore Football Club.

It all sounds very exciting and seems to tick every single box of how a local footy club should be celebrating in its community.

The Seagulls even proudly state on their Facebook page that the day has the support of current senior players including the likes of Indigenous men “Cam Anderson, Joseph Salmon and his brother Sam who are proudly wearing our blue and gold colours on the football ground, representing our club and the message that we are trying to instil in our community of the values that we hold so proud.”

DV-accused Joseph Salmon played against Newtown & Chilwell for North Shore in their opening GFNL fixture. Picture: Mark Wilson

Wow, great work North Shore. Tick, tick, tick. Red ticks everywhere you would think.

Or should that in fact be tick, tick, boom?

As reported in these pages of one of those players being celebrated, Joseph Salmon, has a much more explosive backstory which underlines the challenges local footy clubs face in being a welcoming place for all women as well as a restorative place for young men.

We know Joseph Salmon can certainly play football – he has some serious talent. The question is, should he be allowed to?

This publication revealed last year Mr Salmon played for the North Shore Seagulls in the final round of the GFNL just two days after appearing in Darwin Local Court.

Mr Salmon was arrested and charged with 44 offences on August 21, appeared in court on August 24, before being bailed and then appearing for the Seagulls that weekend.

The alleged offending took place between October 6, 2022 and January 11, 2023 with an alleged attack on January 1 referred to as “particularly serious” by the prosecution in court.

Mr Salmon allegedly punched his partner in the stomach causing immediate and ongoing stomach pain until January 11 when she was taken to hospital in need of surgical intervention and a blood transfusion for a ruptured fallopian tube.

Former VFA broadcaster anti-domestic violence campaigner Phil Cleary says the AFL must show leadership on the issue. Picture: David Caird

The nation’s top advocacy group for preventing violence against women, White Ribbon Australia, says it is “appalling” that Mr Salmon is allowed to continue playing football while facing such serious charges.

“Allowing a man to play football while he is currently facing 30 domestic violence charges sends an appalling message, not only to his AFL Barwon teammates, but also across women’s (footy), the club’s netball team, and the growing number of boys and girls with ambitions to play the game at the highest level,’’ chief executive Melissa Perry said.

Salmon’s previous football clubs, including the Essendon VFL team and the St Mary’s Football Club in Darwin, seem to agree with Ms Perry’s stance as they cut ties with him once the charges came to light.

Without doubt if Salmon was playing footy at the highest level, the AFL would have stepped in by now to hand down their own disciplinary measures.

Tarryn Thomas was sacked by North Melbourne following accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards women. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images.

Tarryn Thomas can attest to that.

On the one hand we like to applaud clubs for providing support and guidance when their members are troubled, yet on the other we need to ensure that they are also setting the highest standards of behaviour and are prepared to act when those standards aren’t met.

It’s a vexed issue which sporting administrators are grappling with at all levels of the game.

Where do we, as a community, expect them to draw the line?

Is it ok for someone accused of robbery to be playing AFL, like Richmond’s Marlion Pickett, but not ok for someone accused of domestic violence like Joseph Salmon to be playing local footy?

“Generally, a person will only be stood down in the most serious of circumstances and the AFL must consent to any proposed stand down,” the AFL’s national community football policy handbook states.

Richmond premiership player Marlion Pickett has continued to play at the highest level despite accusations of being involved in burglaries. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

But who determines the definition of “most serious” and if 44 charges of domestic violence don’t meet that definition, then what on earth does?

Mr Salmon’s case is listed for its next appearance in a Darwin court next month. He is also listed to play for North Shore this weekend.

That’s one list too many.

Originally published as North Shore footballer should be stood down following allegations of domestic violence