Many AFL players look forward to going back to playing the sport for fun after they leave the professional league. But it’s not always a warm welcome back into the lower leagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Guest’s club, Yarraville Seddon Eagles, and Western Football Netball League (WFNL) confirmed in independent statements that an incident was reported in the official match-day report and was investigated by the league.<\/p>\n
But the WFNL concluded there was not enough evidence to substantiate the claim.<\/p>\n
“Following a timely and thorough investigation, including a detailed review of available video footage, the player is observed collecting the ball and turning toward the group,” the WFNL said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“However, there is no visual evidence of any individual spitting and no witnesses in the immediate vicinity \u2014 including the WFNL goal umpire \u2014 that observed the alleged act.”<\/p>\n
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Ashleigh Guest retired from the AFLW in 2022 after stints with the Giants, Demons and Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 (Getty Images: AFL Photos\/Dylan Burns)<\/p>\n
The opposition club also released a statement that said it conducted a thorough internal investigation in conjunction with the league, which concluded “individuals in the vicinity of the area deny that any player was spat at, or that any spitting took place”.<\/p>\n
Guest said she was never spoken to by anyone from the league during the investigation process and is disappointed with the handling of the incident.<\/p>\n
“The actual incident itself, I feel really degraded. I’m not even sure why someone would spit, [it’s] a pretty horrific act,” Guest said.<\/p>\n
“Is it because I was an opposition player, or I’m a woman, or because I’m a lesbian? For what reason would someone spit? It has made me feel really gross; it’s just an awful thing to have experienced.”<\/p>\n
Guest said she will not be returning to play for Yarraville next season after being disappointed with the handling of the alleged incident from the league.<\/p>\n
“I love the girls; my teammates are great,” she said.<\/p>\n
“My teammates have been nothing but supportive. And I think our president and the committee were trying to be supportive in their own way, [it] just hasn’t come off.<\/p>\n
“So it is sad, they’ve been a great club. I’ve been there for the last two seasons and was looking forward to playing there next year, but yeah, I can’t justify [playing there and] won’t support the WFNL at all.”<\/p>\n
Yarraville said it “respected” the statements from the WFNL and the opposing club.<\/p>\n
“But [we] fully support our player and believe that the incident occurred,” the club statement read.<\/p>\n
“We acknowledge, however, that in the world of community football, it is difficult to determine all of the facts with the tools available to us.<\/p>\n
“We will continue to advocate for a safe and respectful game environment and will work with the league and all member clubs to achieve this outcome.”<\/p>\n
The league added that it treats all such matters with the utmost seriousness, and respectful behaviour is a “non-negotiable” standard at all sporting events.<\/p>\n
Former AFL and AFLW players targeted at local leagues<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, former AFLW star Moana Hope called out the “vile and disgusting” verbal abuse she received at a local football game.<\/p>\n
The former Collingwood and North Melbourne forward alleged an opposition player threatened her with physical violence during an Essendon Districts Football League qualifying final.<\/p>\n
Former AFLW star Hope details ‘vile’ abuse at local footy game<\/a><\/p>\n Moana Hope details the “vile and disgusting” verbal abuse she was on the receiving end of at a local football game over the weekend.<\/p>\n “The ball was nowhere in sight, by the way, not that that would make a difference. It wouldn’t. It was just a really horrible experience, and really unwarranted, unacceptable and embarrassing,” the 37-year-old posted to her Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The things that he was saying were vile and disgusting, and nothing short of just a personal attack on me, for absolutely no reason. I spoke to my mum after the game, and she said she felt completely and utterly uncomfortable about it.”<\/p>\n The ABC recently uncovered that ex-AFL players are also routinely targeted at lower leagues, including former West Coast premiership player Adam Hunter and ex-Collingwood defender Jason Cloke<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cloke, after being hospitalised over a dozen times and suffering countless concussions<\/a>, dropped out of community football due to unnecessary on-field aggression.<\/p>\n “They think you’re entitled to cop it and you should be able to cop it because you’re an ex-AFL footballer,” Cloke told ABC Sport.<\/a><\/p>\n Guest said players like her and Hope come back from the elite level and try to support local footy, but it can come at a cost: “Why would AFLW players or AFL men’s players come back to play local footy if they’re going to be either targeted physically on the ground or targeted off-field with incidents like this?”<\/p>\n