St Kilda forward Lance Collard has been suspended for seven matches after an AFL tribunal found he used a homophobic slur during a Victorian Football League match. The 21-year-old was given a nine-week sanction, with two weeks suspended until the end of the season, leaving him with an effective seven-game ban for the vilification offence.
That penalty comes in addition to a separate two-match suspension for rough conduct arising from the same game, with the tribunal ruling the bans must be served consecutively rather than at the same time.
The tribunal upheld the AFL’s “conduct unbecoming” charge after deciding Collard had called Frankston player Darby Hipwell a “f**king fggt” during the March VFL clash. Hipwell told the hearing that Collard pulled him in close and said the words directly into his ear.
Collard denied using the slur and maintained that he had actually said, “Come here, maggot.” But the tribunal accepted the evidence of Hipwell and another Frankston player, Bailey Lambert, who both said they heard the homophobic abuse.
In pushing for a heavier sanction, the AFL argued that Collard’s disciplinary history was highly relevant. He was suspended for six matches in 2024 after admitting to using a similar homophobic slur against opponents, and the league sought a penalty of up to 10 matches in this latest case.
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said the length of the ban reflected both the seriousness of the conduct and the fact that this was Collard’s second offence. “Homophobic slurs are harmful and entirely unacceptable,” he said. Reporting also indicated the tribunal took into account Collard’s lack of remorse during the hearing when deciding not to show greater leniency.
Collard’s legal team argued for a lighter penalty, pointing to his difficult upbringing and lack of a positive male role model, and asked for any sanction to run concurrently with his existing ban. That submission was rejected.
The hearing was significant beyond the individual case. ABC reported it was the first time an AFL player had contested a “conduct unbecoming” charge relating to homophobic language at a full tribunal hearing, setting a new disciplinary precedent for the league.
The case also lands amid broader concern about repeated incidents of homophobic language across Australian football. ABC noted it was the eighth case in three years involving AFL-listed players or coaches being found to have used homophobic language in games.
St Kilda has said it will consider whether to appeal the sanction, with the club given five days to decide its next move.
