A controversial nine-week suspension handed to St Kilda AFL forward Lance Collard for a repeated homophobic slur incident has drawn formal response from the AFL Players’ Association (AFLPA), with the governing body voicing disappointment and pushing for sweeping systemic change to how the sport handles discriminatory conduct.
Collard received the penalty this week following a hearing into his verbal abuse of a Victorian Football League (VFL) opponent, where he was recorded using an openly homophobic slur during a match against Frankston. The nine-week sentence includes a nine-week playing ban, with two weeks of the punishment deferred to the end of the current season. This marks Collard’s second breach of the league’s anti-discrimination rules: he previously served a six-week suspension in 2024 for an identical offence of using a homophobic slur.
In addition to this latest penalty, Collard is already serving a separate two-match ban for a high tackle offence committed during the same Frankston match. Throughout the tribunal process, Collard has consistently maintained his innocence, with his legal team arguing that a harsh suspension for the second offence could have irreversible, life-ruining impacts on his young playing career. To date, Collard has appeared in 15 senior AFL matches for St Kilda.
AFLPA chief executive James Gallagher released an official public statement Wednesday confirming the association’s position, noting that while the entire Australian Football industry shares a unified goal of eliminating homophobia from the sport, the current case underscores deep flaws in the existing approach to addressing discrimination.
Gallagher explained that the tribunal itself acknowledged that complex issues like homophobia and racism cannot be resolved through polarizing debate centered on whether offending language was used, and that the AFLPA is disappointed the panel did not accept Collard’s consistent claims of innocence. The association will continue to provide full support to Collard and St Kilda Football Club throughout the process, including exploring all possible avenues for an appeal against the suspension.
“A holistic solution that doesn’t focus solely on punitive measures can only be realised through meaningful engagement with LGBTIQA+ community leaders, education that reflects diverse backgrounds and experiences of players, alongside a disciplinary process that is fit for purpose, minimises and remedies the harms caused and shifts behaviour,” Gallagher said.
He added that through collective bargaining agreements, the AFLPA has already negotiated a formal shared commitment with the broader AFL to embed equality, inclusion and safety across the sport, and work continues to progress these pledges to make the game welcoming and safe for all participants. Gallagher also acknowledged the far-reaching impact of the entire disciplinary process on multiple affected groups, including the LGBTIQA+ community, First Nations communities, and Collard and his family.