By Vince Rugari
Greater Western Sydney’s AFLW coach Alan McConnell is ready to welcome Haneen Zreika back into the team after successfully navigating what he said were a “complex” web of circumstances surrounding her faith, footy and the club’s commitment to social causes.
Zreika did not play in Friday’s 7.1 (43) to 2.9 (21) win over the Western Bulldogs because she objected to wearing the Giants’ special pride-round guernsey, which features a prominent rainbow design in a tribute to LGBTQI+ communities.
Bulldogs and Giants players run through a joint banner at Henson Park.Credit: Getty
But the 22-year-old, who was the first Muslim to play in the AFLW, was on hand at Henson Park in Sydney’s inner west to take in the fixture as a spectator, and joined in the team’s victory song in their change room – albeit over FaceTime due to COVID-19 protocols.
As her teammates ran through a rainbow banner alongside Bulldogs players before the first bounce, Zreika broke her silence on her absence through a statement posted on Instagram, suggesting it was more to do with her “responsibility to represent my faith and my community” rather than any personal issues she has with supporting gay rights.
While the situation has sparked furious debate in some circles, McConnell said he believed the Giants had come through it relatively unscathed, at least in terms of personal relationships within the team. Some of Zreika’s teammates are openly gay, but are supportive of her stance and recognise she was in a difficult position.
“It’s just not simple,” McConnell said.
“As I said to Haneen, we can have similar opinions, different opinions, but they’ll never break the bond that we have for one another and she has with our team and her teammates. I’m very comfortable and confident that’s all intact.
“We’re proud of Haneen, as we are all of our girls. We empathise with the challenges that she faces in this circumstance, but equally we’re really proud of the connection and obligations we have to the LGBTQI community.
GWS Giants player Haneen Zreika sat out Friday’s clash with the Western Bulldogs.Credit: Getty Images
“I’m actually really proud of the fact that I think we live really strong values in terms of inclusion every day of the week, every week of the year at our footy club, and in particular, in relation to this team.”
The AFLW’s pride round was held last weekend, but the Giants opted to honour it this week to coincide with their first home match of the season – and their first outing at Henson Park, the famed home of the Newtown Jets rugby league team.
McConnell was asked how Giants fans should interpret the events surrounding Zreika but said it wasn’t his place to tell them.
“That’s exactly the point in relation to this issue – everybody is entitled to their opinions,” he said.
“I understand that some people will agree and some people won’t with her stance, or the stance of the club, if you look at it from a different perspective. The reality is that I know that internally, this has been consistently underpinned by a care and empathy for one another and all of the issues.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t necessarily have differences of opinion, but that’s life.”
The AFL said in a statement: “We believe in the power of our game to bring people together. It is a critical part of the fabric and values that make our game great and why we have introduced important initiatives such as AFLW Pride Round to celebrate inclusion. We also recognise that sometimes there will be challenges between our stance as a code and people’s own beliefs and we respect the way the club and playing group have worked together to understand and support each other.”
Earlier, Zreika – who played in last year’s pride round match for GWS when wore their usual home guernsey –pleaded for people to show kindness to each other in her Instagram post.
“As the first Australian Muslim woman in the AFLW, I have a responsibility to represent my faith and my community. I respect people regardless of their sexual orientation,” Zreika wrote.
“This decision was extremely difficult and I appreciate the support of AFL, Giants, my teammates. Inclusion is about creating a space where people are able to respect their right to choose how they live their life as long as they don’t advocate hate and division.
“My platform is not a place for people to disrespect and harass others so please be kind.”
On the field, it was a Marrickville mauling, as GWS jumped out of the gates with the first three goals against the Bulldogs and were never headed. Zreika wasn’t their only key absentee – several others, including Chloe Dalton, Rebecca Privitelli and Pepa Randall, were missing due to coronavirus protocols, while the Bulldogs were playing their first game in almost three weeks following a COVID-19 outbreak. They looked it, too.
Defender Nicola Barr, who had never scored a goal in her previous 33 games in the competition, kicked four and was the best player afield.
A strong crowd of 2683 was on hand, albeit a fair bit short of the Jets’ famous average attendance of 8972. Fans were treated to free ‘pride donuts’ and entertainment from drag queens and seemed to lap up the atmosphere at the boutique venue, which felt perfectly suited to AFLW, and will also become the home of the Sydney Swans when they enter the competition next year.