By Andrew Wu, Marnie Vinall and Peter Ryan
In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:
- The AFLPA has demanded the AFL provide clarity to players on what is acceptable around tackling for the rest of this season after Charlie Cameron and Toby Bedford each received three-match bans.
- St Kilda’s Lance Collard has been suspended for six matches for using homophobic language while playing for the Sandringham Zebras in a VFL match against Williamstown.
- The Brisbane Lions will challenge Cameron’s three-game suspension at the appeal board, and Greater Western Sydney will do the same for the ban imposed on Bedford.
- St Kilda winger Bradley Hill has extended his stay with the Saints for another three seasons.
Players Association issues urgent call for clarity on tackle
Peter Ryan, Marnie Vinall and Andrew Wu
The AFL Players’ Association has demanded the AFL provide clarity to players on what is acceptable around tackling for the rest of this season after Charlie Cameron and Toby Bedford each received three-match suspensions for dangerous tackles at the tribunal.
After being flooded on Wednesday with commentary from players uncertain as to what is acceptable following the decisions, players representative Brett Murphy took the rare step of outlining the fears the players now hold that they might be suspended for football actions.
“They are genuinely confused as to what is and isn’t permissible in a tackle,” Murphy said.
Charlie Cameron was suspended for three matches for his tackle on Eagle Liam Duggan.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“We have six weeks until finals and there is a playing group who are unclear as to what the rules are and confused and anxious, genuinely anxious … players have told us they feel as though they are up against it. They play the game in good faith and there is a risk that might [be penalised] for something they did not feel was a sanctionable offence.”
He said players are heading into round 19 uncertain as to what they can do to avoid suspension if they execute a tackle, as the game appears to be demanding players do what many consider impossible.
“What is being posed to the players doesn’t seem reasonable,” Murphy said.
“Are we trying to outlaw chase down tackles? If we are, let’s clarify that.
“Are we comfortable with the questions being posed to the player about what he realistically could have done differently.
“Are we moving towards strict liability?
“The players are concerned we are moving to a circumstance where if they tackle and they injure someone, are they in trouble?”
Murphy said he understood what was acceptable in the game has changed and players supported and appreciated the AFL’s decisions to protect their health. He also said he didn’t want to discuss the specifics of Cameron’s and Bedford’s tackles as the AFL’s appeals board was yet to sit. However, the confusion had been building for some time.
He said outcry over past decisions in relation to the bump had proved to be wrong as players adapted, but tackling felt more like a core element of the game.
“The playing group understands the AFL’s efforts to protect the head and that they will use the laws of the game and the MRO/Tribunal system to achieve that,” Murphy said.
“But they are perplexed … let’s have some clarity.”
The Brisbane Lions will challenge Cameron’s three-game suspension, and GWS will do the same for the ban imposed on Bedford.
The tribunal on Tuesday night upheld the three-match bans handed down by the match review officer, sparking outrage and confusion from many across the AFL landscape.
The Giants argued that Bedford had no other option in the circumstances but to tackle Richmond’s Tim Taranto in the manner he did, and that the impact should not be graded as severe. Taranto was subbed out of the match and has entered concussion protocols, ruling him out for at least one game.
The Giants’ move to appeal comes a week after they mocked Sydney for posting a video of one-time Brownlow Medal favourite Isaac Heeney thanking fans for the support they showed during his ill-fated bid to overturn a one-match suspension.
Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong told Triple M Perth that sling tackles had rightly been outlawed as the AFL moved to limit concussion injuries, but the Bedford tackle did not fall into that category.
“I just don’t know what other option he had. And that’s the question we’ve kind of got at the moment … what are these other alternatives in that situation?” Serong said.
Toby Bedford was suspended for three matches for his tackle on Richmond’s Tim Taranto.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“If it’s going to get to a point where we can’t take anyone to ground, it’s going to be hard … as a smaller player, you’re doing everything you can to hold on to a tackle.
“I just feel for these guys like where they’re trying to lay a tackle and just hold on. And then it ends up resulting in a three-week ban. It feels like it’s a lot for those actions.”
Former Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown questioned what else Bedford was meant to do.
“I think we’re now starting to eat into the fabric of the game. Yes, I feel bad for Tim Taranto; we don’t want players to get injured,” Brown said on Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night.
“You know what I’m telling them? I’m telling [Bedford]: ‘Mate, don’t pursue it, don’t tackle in that situation – I’d rather have you playing for us instead of missing next three weeks’.
“Concussion crusaders, be careful what you wish for.”
Two-time Sydney premiership player Jude Bolton said players were being punished for being physical in contested situations.
“The current guidelines need to change. Concussions can sadly occur ... I would rather raise the threshold for a suspension, (meaning less players are rubbed out) & come down harder on those incidents that are not footy acts,” Bolton posted on X.
The tackle that resulted in Charlie Cameron’s suspension.Credit: Fox Footy
AFL lawyer Lisa Hannon, KC, argued on Tuesday that Cameron and Bedford should have released the arms of their opponents and been more careful when tackling.
“The fact Cameron’s foot may’ve become entangled with [Liam] Duggan’s was entirely foreseeable and not an exceptional circumstance in a close up tackle,” said Hannon, who also told Bedford he should have acted in similar fashion.
Cameron’s Lions teammate Josh Dunkley and Bedford’s Giants captain Toby Greene both expressed bewilderment at the suspensions.
“Three weeks – it doesn’t seem right to me, he’s making a legitimate play,” Greene said.
“I feel like this is overstepping the mark. This is a tackle that you’re going to see in AFL footy for the next 50 years. If you eradicate this, you’re just going to have to tackle standing up.”
Under AFL rules, both the Lions and GWS could argue there was an error of law during the tribunal hearing, that the decisions were unreasonable or that the classification of the offences or sanctions imposed were manifestly excessive.
Cameron is poised to miss crucial games against ladder-leaders Sydney, Gold Coast and St Kilda as the Lions – last year’s grand finalists – surge to try to secure a top-four berth on the back of six successive wins.
Bedford’s ban, as it stands, covers the Giants’ matches against Gold Coast, Melbourne and Hawthorn.
With AAP
Collard handed six-match ban
Andrew Wu and Peter Ryan
St Kilda’s pride game partner has supported the AFL’s six-game suspension to first-year player Lance Collard for using homophobic language, amid criticism from the players’ union that harsher penalties do not work.
Collard’s sanction, announced by the league on Wednesday after an investigation by its integrity unit, is the heaviest of the three players found guilty of making a homophobic slur this year, though Collard’s contrition spared him a longer ban for making multiple comments the AFL described as “unprompted” and “highly offensive” to two players in the VFL. He must also complete Pride in Sport training at his own expense.
Lance Collard made his debut for the Saints against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round one.Credit: AFL Photos
Collard’s suspension rules him out for the rest of the AFL season, though he could still return for the VFL finals should Sandringham (affiliated with St Kilda) remain in contention.
The ban handed to Collard is one game longer than that meted out to Gold Coast’s Wil Powell, who only recently returned after completing a five-match suspension for using the word “f-----” in a game against Brisbane.
Embarrassingly for the Saints, Collard’s remarks, made in a VFL game while playing for the Zebras against Williamstown, came just a week after St Kilda’s annual pride game against Sydney, which celebrates diversity and inclusion with the LGBTQ community.
Pride Cup chief Hayley Conway said six matches was not a light suspension for Collard, a 19-year-old from Western Australia in his first season in the AFL.
‘For us, it’s about the long-term impact and how you change the game. How do we make the entire environment more welcoming for people? I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that taking a really heavy approach or shaming them is very effective.’
Pride Cup CEO Hayley Conway on Lance Collard’s ban
“What we don’t want to do is over-correct in such a way where it means people aren’t reporting them and action isn’t being taken because it’s seen as overly judicious,” Conway told this masthead.
“It’s about changing culture and behaviour. That’s something you want to be nuanced about.”
Though expressing disappointment at Collard’s comments, Conway said there was nothing to be gained from a “slammed and banned” approach, preferring education instead to produce a change in attitudes.
“For us, it’s about the long-term impact and how you change the game,” Conway said.
“How do we make the entire environment more welcoming for people? I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that taking a really heavy approach or shaming them is very effective.
“We want to see people feel welcome and able to make mistakes, rather than slammed and banned.”
The AFL Players’ Association reaffirmed its push for the league to show greater transparency and consistency in how it sanctions players, having previously expressed dismay at the sums of fines handed out to its members. It called on the league to establish a joint equality, inclusion and safety (EIS) committee to deal with matters such as homophobia, and to prioritise the delivery of education and awareness programs.
“It is clear that the approach of dealing harsher suspensions to players is not working,” AFLPA acting chief Regan Bunny said.
The league said Collard had “admitted and understood his behaviour was wrong and has since apologised to the Williamstown Football Club and the players involved”.
“There is no excuse for using the language that Collard used on the weekend. Everyone understands it is totally unacceptable in any setting, ever,” AFL general counsel Stephen Meade said.
“The AFL is very clear that homophobia has no place in our game, nor in society. We want everyone to feel safe playing in our game and Collard’s behaviour does not help this.”
Collard released a statement via St Kilda saying he was “incredibly remorseful”.
“I’m disappointed in myself and fully accept the consequences for my behaviour,” he said.
“What I did doesn’t represent my values, or the values of the club. I have apologised to the Williamstown players who were impacted by my behaviour, and unreservedly reiterate that apology to anyone else my conduct affected.”
St Kilda football general manager David Misson said the club was disappointed with Collard’s comments and would now look to support him through this process.
“There is no excuse for what Lance said,” Misson said.
“At St Kilda we have a strong policy of supporting the person but challenging the behaviour. Lance’s behaviour in this instance is totally unacceptable, but we will also be strong in our support and education for Lance.
“We have spoken to Pride Cup, a long-term partner of the club, who will continue to support the club and now look to provide additional education to Lance and the rest of our playing group to ensure that this never happens again.”
Collard is the third AFL-listed player suspended in 2024 for using homophobic language.
Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson copped a three-match ban and Gold Coast’s Powell was suspended for five.
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson was fined $20,000 and given a suspended two-match ban for an abusive remark directed at St Kilda players in the pre-season.
Collard has played three AFL matches since being drafted in the 2023 national draft. The suspension covers games at both AFL and VFL level.
Hill to remain a Saint until end of 2027
Roy Ward
St Kilda wingman Bradley Hill has extended his stay with the Saints for another three seasons signing on until the end of 2027.
The 31-year-old has become a key leader for Ross Lyon’s Saints after winning three premierships with Hawthorn from 2013-15.
The proud Noongar man is due to play his 250th AFL game on Saturday when the Saints play West Coast at Marvel Stadium.
Signing on for three more: Brad Hill.Credit: Darrian Traynor
Hill would become the 17th Indigenous player to reach 250 games.
“I’ve been at the club for a few years now and am committed as ever to doing all I can to see us succeed,” Hill said.
“The more my career has gone on, I’ve tried to embrace my position as a leader and help drive us forward.
“I really believe in the direction we’re headed and am keen to play my role in getting us there.”
Hill also revealed he and wife Sam are expecting their second child, a son, in the coming weeks.
Misson praised Hill as one of the team’s most reliable figures.
“Bradley brings an enormous amount of leadership, speed and skill to our side. We’re very happy to have him commit to three more years at the club,” Misson said.
“His ability to provide high-quality performances, week in, week out and always play his role for the team is what we love about Brad.”
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