A Magpie star has called for urgent action to eliminate homophobia from the AFL, sparking debate and putting the spotlight on inclusivity in Australian football.
Brayden Maynard
Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard has spoken out, saying that homophobic incidents have occurred far too frequently in the AFL and must be completely stamped out of the game.
Adelaide star Izak Rankine is currently under investigation for allegedly using a homophobic slur against a Collingwood opponent, and he faces the possibility of being banned from participating in the AFL finals.
This is the fourth such alleged incident at AFL level over the past two seasons, and the sixth involving players listed in the AFL.
In previous cases, Port Adelaide’s Jeremy Finlayson was suspended for three games, while Gold Coast’s Wil Powell received a five-match ban for making homophobic comments toward opponents. More recently, in July, West Coast’s Jack Graham was handed a four-game suspension after admitting to using a homophobic slur against a GWS player.
These repeated incidents have put the spotlight on the need for stronger measures to combat homophobia within Australian football.
Last year, St Kilda youngster Lance Collard received a six-game suspension for directing homophobic slurs at VFL opponents. This July, Sydney draftee Riak Andrew was handed a five-game ban for using a “highly offensive” slur during a VFL match.
Collingwood vice-captain Brayden Maynard said the issue has now become far too frequent.
“It’s happened too often now,” Maynard said. “It’s happened, what, three or four times now, so we clearly need to stamp it out. I think we’re doing a great job of that—we’re doing our best to remove all that stuff from the game.
“So yeah, it’s not good to see. And I think we’re doing everything we can, both through the women’s program and the men’s program, to stamp it out.”
AFLW veteran Sabrina Frederick also stressed the importance of a no-tolerance approach, highlighting the need to maintain a safe environment for players, fans, and supporters.
Sabrina Frederick says player and fan safety requires a no-tolerance approach. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)
“Safety in football is huge,” Frederick said.
“Creating an environment where players are safe to come to work, fans and supporters are safe to come and experience the entertainment for all – that’s really important to us here at Collingwood, but (also) across the entire AFL.
“As players, especially, we’re strong on making sure that the football is a really safe environment.
“Safety is really important for us to do our job, but (also) for people to actually experience the football in all its glory.
“So in terms of no tolerance, we’re really big at that with Collingwood, just making sure it’s a really safe environment for people to do their thing and people to experience it in a really positive light.”