St Kilda forward Lance Collard will face a disciplinary tribunal hearing next week after allegedly using a homophobic slur during a VFL match. The AFL investigated the allegation stemming from a heated exchange in last week's game against Frankston.
This incident comes less than two years after Collard served a six-match ban for the same offence while playing for VFL side Sandringham. The 21-year-old’s future at the Saints is reportedly on thin ice as he faces the most serious charge yet.
Earlier this week, Collard was already handed a three-week suspension—reduced to two with an early guilty plea—for a high hit on an opponent in the same match. His swinging arm to the head sparked an on-field melee, but the alleged slur is considered more severe.
Collard has reportedly told AFL investigators he did not use a homophobic slur. The case is part of an AFL crackdown following several similar incidents, including Adelaide’s Izak Rankine, who was banned for four AFL matches last season.
