Collard ban significantly downgraded; change coming to match days after Petracca’s horror injury

Collard punishment decided

Peter Ryan

St Kilda’s Lance Collard has had his penalty for using a homophobic slur in a VFL game reduced to four weeks (with two weeks suspended until the end of 2027) by the AFL Appeals Board, which described the original penalty as “crippling” for the player.

The appeals board, led by Will Houghton KC, backed the AFL Disciplinary Tribunal’s decision to find Collard guilty but said their decision to ban him for seven weeks (and two suspended) was “manifestly excessive”.

It is the second time in two years Collard has been found to have used homophobic language in a match, however he denied using the phrase “f---ing f----t” in this match against Frankston.

After admitting to using the slur in a VFL match in 2024, he was suspended for six matches. On this occasion, Collard said he used the word maggot, however two Frankston players said he had used the homophobic slur. The AFL Disciplinary Tribunal found him guilty of using the slur and the appeals board said they were open to make that finding and there had been no error of law.

In his judgment, Houghton said it was to the AFL’s credit that they were imposing sanctions for homophobic, racist and sexist language, but that the player’s particular circumstances and the gravity of the offence should be taken into account.

He said Collard’s 2024 offence was “probably far more serious than the present offence”.

He cited his age, that he was Indigenous and had a difficult background, and the fact the recipient of the remark was not offended by the comment, as Hipwell said during the hearing.

“He had at that time struck an opposing player, given away a free kick and been jostled, roughed up and verbally challenged by a number of his opponents,” Houghton said.

He considered the deterrents before saying the sanction was manifestly excessive and imposing a sanction of four weeks with two suspended.

Collard’s representative Michael Borsky KC failed to argue at the appeal hearing that the charge was made under the wrong rule, that the Frankston players were not independent witnesses because they had spoken to each other about the incident after it occurred, and that the tribunal could not have been “comfortably satisfied” that the offending word was used.

However, he successfully argued for a lower sanction, citing a $20,000 fine, a two-match suspended sentence, and Pride in Sport training imposed on North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson after he abused a St Kilda player in 2024.

Tears shed as Ugle-Hagan earns Suns debut

Danny Russell

Troubled young star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has been handed an emotional return to senior football, selected by Gold Coast to play his first AFL match in almost 600 days.

The Suns announced on Thursday that 24-year-old Ugle-Hagan, who teared up at the news he had been picked, would make his debut for the Queensland club against Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday.

The 2020 No.1 draft pick lost his way after playing 67 games as a forward for the Western Bulldogs, including his controversial selection in the 2024 elimination final loss to Hawthorn.

That was to be his last match in the Western Bulldogs’ colours.

Ugle-Hagan revealed in a podcast last year that he hit rock bottom while taking extended personal leave from football in 2025 as the spotlight on him intensified. He said he spent time in a rehab facility for his mental health.

Ugle-Hagan joined Gold Coast during last year’s trade period.

“We told Jamarra in front of the playing group this morning, and I’m not going to lie, there was a tear from player and probably the coach as well,” coach Damien Hardwick said of Ugle-Hagan’s selection on Thursday morning.

“It’s an incredible story, it’s been 596 days since his last AFL game. He’s done a power of work for us, we’ve made him earn it, and we’ve been so impressed by what he’s brought.

“A lot of people have done a lot of work with Jamarra to get him the opportunity to make his club debut.

“We’re excited about what’s he going to offer. What we do know is we think he’s going to be a big part of our future moving forward.”

There was a debate over Ugle-Hagan’s place in the Dogs’ team for the 2024 elimination final, when the star forward eventually lined up on the bench. He ended the match with four disposals.

The Bulldogs were soundly beaten by the Hawks in that final.

Ugle-Hagan told the Rip Through It podcast in June last year he had “suicidal thoughts” during his months-long time away from the game.

“All the noises actually sent me to a rehab facility for my mental health,” Ugle-Hagan said on the podcast.

“It got to a point where I had to give my car to a mate, so I couldn’t drive – I just didn’t trust myself driving.

“There were times when I would think about, to be honest with you, [that it was] just not even worth living.

“I didn’t want to leave the house. I hit rock bottom, and found basement ... suicidal thoughts would come pretty frequently, especially when I felt like I was on my own the whole time – the way I was isolated and put out in public.”

Support is available from Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78.

Magpies ‘conservative’ with Moore

AAP

Collingwood captain Darcy Moore will have to wait to make his long-awaited return from injury, with the Magpies opting to play it safe.

Bobby Hill’s potential return via the VFL has at least buoyed the club, with the premiership hero on target to play after an extended period of personal leave.

Midfielders Jordan De Goey (concussion) and Steele Sidebottom (hip) have proven their fitness and will line up for the Anzac Day match against Essendon.

Star defender Moore had been bullish he would feature in Saturday’s clash, after his first game of the season in round four did not last past the first quarter.

Faced with a five-day turnaround to play third-placed Hawthorn in round eight, Collingwood coach Craig McRae said pushing Moore wasn’t worth the risk.

After the Hawks, the 11th-placed Magpies (3-3) will hit the road to play sixth-placed Geelong and ladder-leaders Sydney.

“Are we being conservative [with Moore]? Probably. Probably a little bit,” McRae said.

“He plays this game and he might miss the five-day break. It seems a bit silly then, doesn’t it?

“But ultimately, he hasn’t quite done enough load, so that’s where we stand at the moment, and I think he’ll benefit from it.”

McRae said evergreen Scott Pendlebury will also play, but flagged the veteran midfielder will be rested in the immediate future.

“I’m planning to catch up with him today. We’re going to have a chat about what that next period looks like,” McRae added.

“We’re just concentrating on if he’s fit and available to play this game. I’d be surprised if there’s not a detailed plan of what it looks like next week.”

If Hill gets through training on Thursday, the club is hopeful the 2023 Norm Smith Medal winner will feature in the VFL match against the Bombers the following day.

The 26-year-old had last year taken time out for personal reasons in June and returned for one senior appearance as a substitute in August, before being overlooked for finals.

Hill, contracted until the end of 2030, has been building his fitness since returning to the club in March.

Elsewhere, Carlton coach Michael Voss said ruck Liam Reidy will play his fifth AFL game against Fremantle after Marc Pittonet underwent hand surgery.

Pittonet suffered a small fracture in their defeat to the Magpies, joining Harry McKay (concussion) on the sidelines.

Reidy, who played three games for the Dockers before making the move this year, will likely face off against former Collingwood ruck Mason Cox.

Initially ruled out with a concussion, preferred ruckman Sean Darcy is still sidelined after a flare-up of the calf injury he had been battling during pre-season.

“I don’t have to spend any time in front of the TV screen with him this week, learning about what they do, considering that he’s trained with them for the better part of two or three years,” Voss said of Reidy.

“To be fair to him, he’s really improved himself over the course of the last little while and through pre-season.

“He’s really pushed ‘Pitto’, and I think as a result he’s probably made ‘Pitto’ better.”

Key recommendations of Petracca review

Danny Russell

The AFL will review all match-day incidents that result in players being hospitalised as part of recommendations handed down in the Christian Petracca injury investigation.

Almost two years after Petracca suffered a lacerated spleen in the King’s Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood, the AFL has finalised its marathon review into the life-threatening incident.

Petracca was allowed to return to the field of play after a sickening collision with Collingwood skipper Darcy Moore on June 10, 2024, but ended up in surgery later that night.

He had suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and a lacerated spleen as a result of the injury.

Disgruntled with the way his injuries were handled, the 2021 Norm Smith medallist left Melbourne to join Gold Coast in last year’s trade period.

In a document seen by this masthead, the Petracca injury review made four recommendations.

The first was to implement a pre-match briefing involving key healthcare and emergency personnel, communication channels and ambulance procedures for each venue. It will also include a brief guide to local hospital emergency services.

The second was to ensure a more effective and consistent medical emergency workforce on mach day.

“The review revealed that expertise and scope of practice of emergency personnel vary significantly between venues and states,” the document said.

The third recommendations was to establish a best-practice emergency care course, benchmarked against other sporting codes. Club medical staff would sit the course every two years.

The fourth recommendation involved the development of an “audit and review process for match-day incidents that require emergency intervention or transportation of players to hospital”.

“This reflects the practices of the public hospital system where relevant medical staff review recent real-life situations and processes to identify learning opportunities and improvements,” the review said.

“The AFL is drafting a protocol for this audit process and has engaged the AFLPA on their plans.”

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