St Kilda forward Lance Collard will serve a two-week suspension over his latest homophobic slur after having his ban reduced by the AFL appeal board.
Collard was initially banned for seven weeks, with a further two weeks suspended, after being found guilty of calling a VFL opponent a “f***ing f****t” last month.
On Tuesday, the appeal board agreed with Collard’s lawyer that the penalty was manifestly excessive because it would have had a “crippling” effect on the 21-year-old fringe player’s career.
Collard’s reduced two-week ban carries a further two weeks suspended until the end of next season, when his existing contract expires.
It was the second time in three seasons Collard has been found guilty of using homophobic language in a VFL match. He was also banned for six games in 2024 after he admitted to using the same slur on-field.
The appeal board declared Collard’s previous offending was “probably far more serious than the present offence”. The board noted Collard’s age, Indigenous heritage and difficult background in delivering its verdict, and said Frankston player Darby Hipwell was not personally offended by the slur directed at him.
“Ultimately the appeal board has come to the view that the sanction imposed on player Collard by the tribunal was manifestly excessive,” appeal board chair Will Houghton KC said.
The reduction of Collard’s suspension brings to an end another drawn-out tribunal process after Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters had his umpire-abuse charge thrown out.
The AFL ultimately issued an apology over a tribunal panel member’s decision to disconnect from the initial hearing then continue listening while driving.
Last week, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon labelled the AFL’s tribunal process a “firestorm”, saying it put unnecessary stress on the individuals involved.
