St Kilda player Lance Collard has had his suspension for using a homophobic slur significantly reduced after the AFL Appeals Board ruled that the original penalty was excessive, even while upholding the finding that he used the abuse. Collard’s sanction was cut from nine weeks, with two suspended, to four weeks, with two suspended, meaning he will now serve an effective two-match ban for the slur itself.
Collard was found guilty of calling a Frankston opponent a “fucking faggot” during a VFL match last month, marking the second time in three seasons that the 21-year-old has been sanctioned for homophobic language on the field. He had previously received a six-game ban in 2024 after admitting to using the same slur.
Although the Appeals Board rejected St Kilda’s attempt to overturn the misconduct finding, it agreed with the club’s barrister, Michael Borsky KC, that the original sanction was “manifestly excessive”. In its reasoning, the board said the penalty would have a “crippling” effect on Collard’s career and noted that football is a “highly competitive” environment in which racist, sexist and homophobic language can still be “commonplace”, even as the sport works to stamp it out.
That language has sparked major backlash. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon publicly condemned the board’s comments, saying there is “no place for homophobia” in football and that a stronger penalty was not only warranted but necessary. The AFL has since sacked appeals board chair Will Houghton KC, who led the panel that made the ruling.
The Appeals Board also took into account Collard’s age, his Indigenous background, his difficult upbringing, and the fact that he had been physically and verbally challenged during the game before making the comment. It further noted that Frankston player Darby Hipwell, the recipient of the slur, said he had not been personally offended by it.
In a statement, St Kilda said it was disappointed the charge had been upheld but welcomed the reduced sanction and called for greater consistency and transparency in the AFL tribunal system. The club said it remained focused on supporting Collard through what it described as a challenging period.
Even with the reduction, the case has become a flashpoint for the AFL. What might have ended as a disciplinary matter has instead widened into a bigger argument about how seriously the game treats homophobic abuse — and whether its internal processes are equipped to send a clear message that such language is unacceptable, full stop. That final point is an inference based on the public criticism from the AFL, media and wider football community following the decision.
