![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AFL acknowledges the decision of the independent disciplinary tribunal today to uphold the charge against Lance Collard of the St Kilda Football Club following a finding that he breached AFL Rule 2.3(a) (Conduct Unbecoming) by the use of a homophobic slur directed towards an opponent in a VFL match on March 27,\u201d the league said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cA sanction hearing will now be convened to determine the sanction at a date and time to be determined.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AFL has no tolerance for the use of homophobic language in our game and its expectations have been made extremely clear to all of our players, including by education that all AFL and VFL players receive.\u201d<\/p>\n
St Kila said in a statement: \u201cSt Kilda Football Club is naturally disappointed with the decision handed down by the AFL disciplinary tribunal this afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process is ongoing, with further submissions from both parties to be made on any penalty. A date for this next step is yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club is also reviewing the tribunal\u2019s written findings and will consider its position, including avenues of appeal. We will continue to support Lance throughout this process.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the matter remains ongoing, the club will make no further comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In a three hour and 30-minute hearing, Collard denied using the word f****t and signed a statutory declaration to that effect, instead claiming he said \u201cmaggot\u201d.<\/p>\n
However Frankston players Darby Hipwell and Bailey Lambert both maintained they heard Collard call Hipwell a \u201cf***ing f****t\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson returned after 5pm and declared the panel would meet again on Friday to determine a verdict and possible sanction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re well advanced in our discussions and deliberations, but not in a position to communicate our position. We are meeting again tomorrow and will resume our deliberations. We\u2019re confident we\u2019ll be in a position to deliver brief written reasons tomorrow,\u201d Gleeson said.<\/p>\n
Collard was previously found guilty of using a homophobic slur in a 2024 VFL game but admitted to it in that case.<\/p>\n
In the marathon case the Saints argued there was no objective evidence either way, and that Collard \u201cvoluntarily exposed himself to the risk of perjury in order to clear his name\u201d, given the potential penalties for knowingly signing a false statutory declaration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in my submission, impossible, to be mistaken to the word you yourself used. But it is plainly possible \u2026 for Mr Hipwell and Mr Lambert to be honestly mistaken,\u201d Michael Borsky said for St Kilda.<\/p>\n
But the AFL said the Tribunal should be comfortably satisfied Collard used the word, given he has done so before, and among other arguments said \u201cit\u2019s inherently unlikely the words \u2018come here maggot\u2019 were used because he\u2019s in the process of letting Hipwell go\u201d at the time of the incident.<\/p>\n
TRIBUNAL HEARING RECAP<\/p>\n
Michael Borsky represented St Kilda while Andrew Woods represented the V\/AFL, with Jeff Gleeson the Tribunal chair along with jurors Scott Stevens and Melia Benn.<\/p>\n
Collard\u2019s lawyer said he \u201cvigorously denied\u201d the allegation including in a statutory declaration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t be comfortably satisfied on this evidence that this alleged word was said,\u201d Borsky said.<\/p>\n
Gleeson said the Tribunal would consider a finding that it could not confirm the word had been uttered as a resolution in Collard\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n
St Kilda argued were the word found to have been uttered, the incident would not fall under conduct unbecoming, but rather the Peek Rule.<\/p>\n
AFL planned to call three witnesses:<\/p>\n
– player Darby Hipwell, who it\u2019s alleged Collard directed the word to;<\/p>\n
– Bailey Lambert, another Frankston player who was nearby;<\/p>\n
– Sam Morgan, the umpire who did not hear the phrase but was told of its alleged use.<\/p>\n
Hipwell said the incident occurred after his teammate Jackson Voss had been struck in the head by Collard.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust before he let me go, he had one final pull towards him, he had his head up against my ear and said either \u2018Darby, you f***ing f****t\u2019 or \u2018Darby, you are a f***ing f****t\u2019,\u201d Hipwell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know his voice having played with him for a few years at Sandringham.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could not be more confident in what I heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hipwell said he didn\u2019t believe he had heard the words maggot (which Collard claims he used) or f****t being used on a football field before.<\/p>\n
\u201cBailey instantly reported it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hipwell was asked by St Kilda if he recalled calling Collard a coward in their scuffle. He said he did not use that term and did not use derogatory language.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t remember the exact words but it was something along the lines of, \u2018you\u2019re an idiot mate\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lance Collard of the Saints in action during the 2025 AFL Round 10 match between Waalitj Marawar (West Coast Eagles) and Euro-Yroke (St Kilda Saints) at Optus Stadium on May 18, 2025 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Saints said Hipwell and Lambert had multiple discussions about the incident before the report was made, and Hipwell said he didn\u2019t recall how many times they had discussed it, but that they did discuss it at some point.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recall telling the AFL\u2019s investigator you and Bailey Lambert had a conversation during the three-quarter-time break, and also post-match about the incident?\u201d the Saints asked.<\/p>\n
Hipwell confirmed they spoke post-match but didn\u2019t recall whether they spoke at three-quarter-time.<\/p>\n
Hipwell was shown a record of his interview with an AFL investigator a day after the incident, in which it says he spoke with Lambert at three-quarter-time and post-game, with the Saints suggesting it\u2019s an accurate record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recall the exact words I said to the investigator,\u201d Hipwell said.<\/p>\n
The Saints cross-examined Hipwell further over his use of the word \u201cstern\u201d to describe Collard\u2019s voice when using the word, questioning who between Hipwell and Lambert told who the word had been used.<\/p>\n
The Saints suggested that an AFL Integrity Officer contacted his team\u2019s footy manager on the phone, and then Hipwell was put on a phone call with the umpire, which Hipwell denied as the chain of events.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the umpire\u2019s account of what happened, and you say that\u2019s completely incorrect?\u201d he was asked.<\/p>\n
He replied: \u201cThat\u2019s not what happened … I came to the umpire, I made a decision to make a complaint or a report.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Saints asked Hipwell whether he and Lambert had spoken about the incident multiple times since being interviewed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there was much discussion about what we heard, because that was blatantly clear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Saints and Hipwell were also in dispute on whether Collard was generally softly spoken.<\/p>\n
The Saints questioned whether the people around the incident also heard it, arguing Hipwell told the investigator he did not respond to the comment.<\/p>\n
Hipwell said he did not respond in the immediate aftermath but he and Collard made contact about 10 seconds later, and that the AFL investigator\u2019s notes were \u201cnot verbatim\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hipwell said he was not directly offended but he knows gay people and recognises the word shouldn\u2019t be said in the game.<\/p>\n
The Saints said the AFL is proposing a 10-week suspension.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite possible you misheard or misunderstood him? I\u2019m not saying you\u2019re lying, I\u2019m saying it\u2019s gotta be possible,\u201d Borsky asked for the Saints.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no possibility I misheard him. I know exactly what he said,\u201d Hipwell replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he said was \u2018maggot\u2019. He said \u2018come here, maggot\u2019,\u201d Borsky said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might\u2019ve just been mistaken – it\u2019s (maggot) a word you\u2019ve said you\u2019ve never heard before on the footy field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hipwell replied: \u201cI was not mistaken at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AFL\u2019s lawyer took Hipwell through the vision and showed the moment where Hipwell alleges Collard pulls his jumper, gets in close and uses the word.<\/p>\n
Hipwell said after the incident he told Collard something like \u201cwhy would you say that?\u201d and pointed to the moment in the vision, around 10 seconds later, when he claims to have said that – along with the moment Lambert told the umpire something along the lines of \u201cdid you hear that? He just said a homophobic slur\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bailey Lambert, the player who reported the alleged slur, was then called to give evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cVossy got hit late by Lance, and then we came in to remonstrate as you usually do … then what happened happened after that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He went on to explain what he heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where it happens (when Collard grabs Hipwell) … and then I carry on like a two-bob watch,\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Darby, you\u2019re a f***ing f****t\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very, very close (to his face) and looking literally at his face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if he\u2019s confident Collard said f****t and not maggot, Lambert said: \u201c100%. I wouldn\u2019t be here otherwise.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said (to the umpire) \u2018umpy, did you hear what he said? He just said the F word umpy\u2019 … I thought we were going to get a 50-metre penalty from it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do all our training modules before the year and we\u2019re told we\u2019re meant to speak up and say the right things … I also thought we\u2019d be getting a 50-metre free kick, that\u2019s why I tried to do it so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert said the umpire asked if he wanted to speak during three-quarter-time in the middle of the ground about it, but said he didn\u2019t want to do it during the game, and then didn\u2019t speak to the umpire afterwards because \u201cit was Darby\u2019s issue to deal with\u201d.<\/p>\n
Borsky for the Saints suggested Lambert said to the umpire, \u201cdid you hear that ump? \u2018Repeat offender\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert denied that and when asked why he was smiling said \u201cI\u2019m not that witty … I didn\u2019t say that\u201d.<\/p>\n
He remembered calling Collard \u201cweak\u201d after the hit on Voss, but not a \u201ccoward\u201d, and didn\u2019t hear that word said by anyone.<\/p>\n
Lambert said his teammate Patrick Dozzi, who is shown to be nearby in the vision, told him he hadn\u2019t heard the word. He said he didn\u2019t remember chatting with Hipwell about what they heard at three-quarter-time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both just agreed on what we\u2019d heard (in a full-time discussion), and then I just said to him, it was his thing to report,\u201d Lambert said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t really a discussion, more an agreeance about what we heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like they did with Hipwell, the Saints questioned whether Lambert used the word \u201cstern\u201d to describe Collard\u2019s language.<\/p>\n
The Saints asked Lambert if there was an explanation as to why Hipwell also told the investigator Collard\u2019s voice was \u201cstern\u201d.<\/p>\n
The AFL objected saying he would not know the answer to that question, but the Tribunal permitted it, and the Saints suggested Lambert and Hipwell had agreed upon what they had heard and what they would tell the investigator – which he denied.<\/p>\n
The Saints suggested \u201cit is very possible you misheard what he said … you\u2019ve never heard maggot (on a footy field), you know he\u2019s said f****t in the past … I\u2019m not saying you gave false evidence, but you might be mistaken?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert said: \u201cI don\u2019t agree. I wouldn\u2019t be here right now if I thought he might not have said it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lambert said he had been contemplating not giving evidence, and was \u201csomewhat\u201d talked into giving evidence by someone from the AFL\u2019s legal department because it \u201cmakes the case stronger\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kinda keep saying it because we were told at the start it was gonna be one statement and that\u2019s it … but it\u2019s turned into this massive thing, and obviously taken up so much time, I\u2019ve taken time out of work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Lambert confirmed he had been told he could be compelled to give evidence if he refused.<\/p>\n
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Umpire Sam Morgan said he was first told about the incident at three-quarter-time when a player reported the homophobic slur – he did not remember which player it was though first mentioned Hipwell, before clarifying he wasn\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n
He said he spoke to Hipwell on the phone after they were connected via the Frankston team manager, and confirmed he was told Collard used the term \u201cf***ing f****t\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Saints asked whether the microphone the umpire was wearing picked up the slur and Morgan said he did not know.<\/p>\n
He also confirmed he could not remember anything specific which was said between the players in the melee, but \u201cin general\u201d heard people \u201carguing back and forth\u201d.<\/p>\n
St Kilda called its Indigenous Player Development Manager Aunty Katrina Amon, who has known him since his draft interviews and supported his move from WA to Victoria to become an AFL player.<\/p>\n
Amon spoke to Collard\u2019s personal growth since joining the footy club, trying to serve as a role model for First Nations and non-First Nations youth through their ambassador program.<\/p>\n
Amon spoke to Collard\u2019s difficult background: \u201cHe hasn\u2019t had a strong male role model in his family \u2026 he went and lived with his Nan to support her, he financially supports his Nan now and they have a really strong relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the 2024 homophobic slur incident \u201cshowed his personal growth\u201d as he admitted what he had done wrong and gained insight through the training which followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe owned it, and then he moved forward to develop himself as a person,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
They also called Hayley Conway, the CEO of Pride Cup, which works with sport at all levels to promote LGBTIQ-inclusive environments, including 100-150 football clubs.<\/p>\n
She ran the pride education for Collard following his 2024 homophobic slur use.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found Lance to be very engaged in the session. He seemed quite nervous at the start \u2026 he was quite remorseful, shy and also really thoughtful in his comments especially as the session went on,\u201d Conway said.<\/p>\n
She said Collard had reflected upon his own experiences of racism, especially with some people who were not aware of his Indigenous background due to his lighter skin tone, and she felt he had drawn a strong connection to inclusion based on that.<\/p>\n
Conway said one of the consequences of incidents like these was the \u201cpassionate supporters of football clubs who are on the receiving end of those sanctions don\u2019t often turn their vociferous support towards the actions of their football club, but they turn it towards the LGBTIQ community \u2026 so we will suffer the consequences as well of ever-increasing sanctions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a punishment is levied, we are blamed for that punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tribunal chair Gleeson asked if there were way to minimise the impact of these penalties on the LGBTIQ community, and she called for deliberate engagement with fans engaging in a negative way, along with showcasing LGBTIQ and pride supporters of their club.<\/p>\n
\u201cActions, if they\u2019re found to have occurred, deserve consequences, but they occur within an enabling environment … and we need to really think of the entire culture across footy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Lance Collard then gave evidence, saying: \u201cI grabbed him (Hipwell) and said, come here, maggot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know they think I\u2019ve said the word f****t, because I\u2019ve said it before, but I admitted it last time when I said it – but I\u2019ve never said it this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI signed an oath (statutory declaration) during the week about it that I\u2019m being 100% honest. Last time I stood up and admitted it, and took it, I was remorseful \u2026 I wouldn\u2019t make the mistake again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He said he learned from his pride education the connection between homophobia and racism.<\/p>\n
He knows making a statement in a stat dec that he knows to be untrue is a criminal offence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m being 100% honest. I\u2019m not lying,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Collard said after the game, he spoke with St Kilda\u2019s Damian Carroll and Lenny Hayes and told them immediately he had said maggot, not f****t.<\/p>\n
Collard said he had been called a coward before he said \u201ccome here, maggot.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t really say anything and he just walked off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collard agreed he was frustrated in the moment of the alleged incident, as he was when the 2024 slur was uttered, but again denied using the word f****t.<\/p>\n
Collard said he knew the Frankston players had called it out to the umpire but said \u201cI told him, I never said it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AFL suggested Collard did not try and correct what Lambert was telling the umpire in the moment, but Collard says \u201cwell, we were playing the game, I wasn\u2019t even worried\u201d.<\/p>\n
Collard said \u201cme and my mates say it (maggot) a lot\u201d.<\/p>\n
Woods for the AFL said: \u201cWould you agree it was usually a word preserved for umpires when they were wearing white?\u201d<\/p>\n
Collard replied: \u201cI wasn\u2019t even born back in those days.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AFL suggested Collard was making up that he used the word maggot to avoid the consequences of using the word f****t, and because it sounded similar so it might help him avoid being found guilty. He denied this.<\/p>\n
Collard said he knew they were accusing him of using the slur because the Frankston players were telling him \u201cenjoy your holiday\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tribunal chair Gleeson clarified whether he said \u201cf***ing\u201d before he said maggot – given the accusation is he said \u201cf***ing f****t\u201d – but Collard said no.<\/p>\n
The AFL\u2019s position was \u201cyou should be comfortably satisfied that the phrase \u2018f***ing f****t\u2019 was used, and not \u2018come here maggot\u2019, for a number of reasons\u201d.<\/p>\n
– Because Collard has done it before, using \u201cprecisely the same word in a markedly similar situation\u201d \u2026 \u201cthe player has a tendency to use that word on a football field when frustrated or angry\u201d;<\/p>\n
– \u201cThere was a nudge towards some concoction between (the two Frankston players) \u2026 he (Hipwell) has no reason to lie\u201d;<\/p>\n
– The umpire being told at three-quarter-time what happened \u201cmakes it pretty unlikely there was any concotion or lying on behalf of everyone\u201d;<\/p>\n
– Maggot \u201cis not a familiar term on 2026 on a football field\u201d;<\/p>\n
– \u201cIt\u2019s inherently unlikely the words \u2018come here maggot\u2019 were used because he\u2019s in the process of letting Hipwell go (not bringing him closer)\u201d.<\/p>\n
St Kilda pointed out \u201cthere\u2019s no objective evidence of the disputed or contested conduct\u201d, which is not disputed by the AFL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat alone is a powerful reason – I don\u2019t say determinative – why you would not be comfortably satisfied as to the allegation,\u201d Borsky said.<\/p>\n
They also say there were \u201ccontemporaneous and contested denials \u2026 including on oath\u201d from Collard.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe voluntarily exposed himself to the risk of perjury in order to clear his name.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in my submission, impossible, to be mistaken to the word you yourself used. But it is plainly possible \u2026 for Mr Hipwell and Mr Lambert to be honestly mistaken.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Saints said they\u2019re not calling the Frankston players liars, but that they might be mistaken.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe (Collard) has put his money or potential liberty where his mouth is. That\u2019s how sure he is,\u201d Borsky said.<\/p>\n
The Saints also questioned the AFL\u2019s first point about Collard having done it before being critical, saying it\u2019s \u201cwrong in principle\u201d because \u201cit contradicts the prospects of rehabilitation and the potential utility of education in this important space.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no logical possibility for the Tribunal other than to find Mr Collard is knowingly lying, or not to be comfortably satisfied of the charge. There is no middle ground here.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Frankston players, they said \u201cit\u2019s clear they colluded in their stories – not meant in the sense of dishonesty or concoction – but they plainly compared notes and told each other what they thought they heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this reason the Saints said you can\u2019t consider their evidence as that of two separate accounts, but of one shared account which \u201ccontaminates their evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Saints also questioned why the AFL did not record the two interviews with the Frankston players.<\/p>\n
The Saints argued if the Tribunal believes Collard is lying, that conduct would still fall short of conduct unbecoming – because that is suited to conduct that\u2019s \u201cmore serious\u201d – and should be addressed under the Peek Rule which relates to vilification or discrimination.<\/p>\n
This would involve a more confidential process and conciliated outcome, should it be possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very significant in this case that the AFL itself announced the allegation against Mr Collard, and the fact of the investigation, on the very day the investigation commenced … on its website,\u201d the Saints said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the outset confidentiality was breached and this was made public by the AFL\u2019s choice to proceed under (this rule) … we say it\u2019s most unfortunate, and if the AFL had followed proper process, the result would\u2019ve likely been no further action given Mr Hipwell said he was not personally offended.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St Kilda\u2019s Lance Collard has been found guilty for an alleged homophobic slur use in a VFL game,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-598188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-afl","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-australian-football-league","12":"tag-australianfootballleague","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}