AFLW star Moana Hope claims she was subjected to 'vile' abuse and threats in front of her young kids while playing in footy final
The former Collingwood and North Melbourne player retired from the league in 2019, and has been playing in the Essendon District Football League for Aberfeldie.
On Saturday, Aberfeldie were beaten in the Airport Toyota Women's Premier Division qualifying final.
Hope claimed to have been subjected to a barrage of abuse and threats from members of the opposition team and several spectators during the match.
'As a parent, I was concerned, and I questioned whether it was the safest place for my kids and my family,' Hope said in an Instagram video.
'On the field, there were a few players who were incredibly, incredibly inappropriate with the verbal abuse that they were giving me, the personal attacks.
'They were saying horrible things, about my personal life and about me, and the people that I love.'
The full-forward also revealed that some of the abuse she allegedly received involved 'physical threats'.
'It went on all day. At one point, one of them threatened me with physical violence,' Hope said.
'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.'
Hope began her AFL career playing for Collingwood back in 2017. She'd go on to make 13 appearances for the club before joining North for a season in 2019.
Known as an accomplished cricketer who represented Victoria at under-19 level, Hope also claimed that she was heckled by two men on the touchline, adding that members of her family, including her children, had been standing in the crowd and had heard the abuse directed towards her.
'To top that off, there were two men in the crowd. One in particular stood there all day and absolutely hurled abuse at me. Anything he could say he said it and it was so f***ing loud.
'The things that he was saying were vile and disgusting, and nothing short of just a personal attack on me, for absolutely no reason.
Hope (pictured with Thattil) played for Collingwood and North Melbourne during her pro footy career, with the full-forward retiring from the AFLW in 2019
'I spoke to my mum after the game, and she said she felt completely and utterly uncomfortable about it,' she added.
The Australian Survivor star also revealed that her coaches had put a complaint to the league regarding the abuse.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Essendon District League for comment.
'I just want to say this, if you're going to go and support a football team, support that team,' she added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
4 minutes ago
- The Guardian
University of Melbourne breached students' privacy by using wifi network to monitor pro-Palestine protest
The University of Melbourne (UoM) breached Victoria's Privacy and Data Protection Act when it used its wifi network to surveil students and staff holding a pro-Palestine protest last May, which could have resulted in a 'significant breach of trust', the state's deputy information commissioner has found. The investigation, released on Wednesday, was prompted by media reports alleging UoM digitally tracked people at the sit-in to uncover potential misconduct. The deputy commissioner found the university used a combination of wifi location data, student card photographs and CCTV footage to identify 22 students who failed to comply with orders to leave the university's Arts West building on 20 May. The investigation found the university did not give adequate notice or justification for how the data would be used. Sign up: AU Breaking News email It took less than a day for the university to authorise the use of data for surveillance purposes and only 'superficial' consideration was given to privacy protection, the report found. The UoM used analysis of wifi location data, CCTV footage, and a review of 10 staff members' email accounts to identify staff involved in the protest, the report found. As a result, three staff members received formal written warnings. Misconduct proceedings were brought against 20 of the students, with 19 receiving a 'reprimand and caution'. The deputy commissioner found the UoM had not contravened information privacy principles (IPPs) in the state's Privacy and Data Protection Act with its CCTV footage use. But it found the UoM had breached two IPPs by failing to adequately inform students and staff about how their personal information had been used, and because using wifi location data to identify individuals in a misconduct investigation was an unauthorised reason. It also found that the university's accessing of staff email accounts for disciplinary proceedings 'fell below the standard' expected. 'The university failed to obtain a social licence for the use of this technology,' the report found. 'Because the collection and use of the data involved the surveillance of students and staff, and surveillance by its nature is antithetical to human rights, the breach was serious.' The deputy commissioner did not issue a compliance notice because of the remedial steps taken by the UoM during the investigation, including developing a new surveillance policy and amending its terms of use and associated policies. The chief operating officer of the UoM, Katerina Kapobassis, said the university acknowledged it could have provided 'clearer active notice' to students and staff about its use of wifi location data. 'However, we maintain that the use of Wi-Fi location data in student misconduct cases was reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances, given the overriding need to keep our community safe and conduct our core activities of teaching, learning and research,' she said. 'The university takes its privacy obligations seriously and has cooperated openly and responsively to the deputy commissioner in the conduct of her investigation. 'The university has already completed a number of actions that are proposed in the final report, and all others are progressing.' The investigation also found the university's wifi terms of use, IT policies and privacy statements were 'poorly presented, contained misleading headings and titles, and contained information that made the purpose of collection and use unclear'. 'The extent of the impact on the individuals whose Wi-Fi location data was used to determine their physical whereabouts was significant,' the report found. 'Each was subjected to a form of surveillance … They are likely to have experienced a significant breach of trust. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'The deputy commissioner remains concerned by the university's practices … and will continue to seek evidence and assurance that it has completed the actions it has agreed to.' The Unimelb for Palestine group welcomed the investigation's findings, which it said exposed the 'deep structural failures in how the university governs data, communicates … and respects fundamental human rights'. The group said it found the decision not to issue a compliance notice 'deeply disappointing'. 'The report does not undo the harm the university has inflicted – through both its past mishandling of misconduct proceedings against Mahmoud's Hall [Arts West] protesters, and its ongoing efforts to expel and suspend other student protesters based on unauthorised and unlawfully obtained data,' the group said. 'So-called liberal institutions – including the UoM - have acted exceptionally to suppress solidarity with Palestine amidst a genocide.' In April, the Human Rights Law Centre, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International wrote to the UoM's vice chancellor, citing serious concerns over its wifi policy, which they said permitted the surveillance of all users without suspicion of wrongdoing or misuse of the network. Principal lawyer Berndaette Zaydan is appealing the suspensions and expulsions of UoM student protestors and said she would use the findings to strengthen their legal fight. The UoM branch president of the National Tertiary Education Union, David Gonzalez, said the deputy commissioner had reinforced what staff had been saying 'all along', that 'they were misusing this information, and it was wrong'. 'There was never an expectation that we would be tracked using Wi-Fi previously,' Gonzalez, who sat in on disciplinary proceedings with staff as a result of the protest, said. 'A large amount of my members are very concerned with their privacy. This is validating for a lot of people who felt gaslit … It's just an erosion of trust.'
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ricky Stuart's son reveals what he'll do if his dad brutally AXES him from the Raiders just before he realises his NRL finals footy dream
Jed Stuart has shared father Ricky's passion for Canberra ever since he was a kid. Back in the day, the younger Stuart would dread going to school after a Raiders loss in case his emotions took over and made him want to fight the classmates taunting his father's team. But that passion doesn't mean Ricky's son would take it personally if the coach chose to replace him with Savelio Tamale on the eve of the NRL finals. The rise of Stuart Jr. has been one of many success stories in the nation's capital this season. The former Australian rugby sevens representative has managed seven games - and four tries - on the left wing for the ladder-leading Raiders amid Tamale's knee injury, with Canberra winning six of those fixtures. 'You've been dreaming about playing NRL your whole life, then finally doing it and actually getting a good stint of games, it's unreal,' Stuart said. On the surface, Stuart and his father appear cut from different cloths, with the older a freakish halfback in his day and the younger a rangy winger some 20cm taller. But in his heart, Jed Stuart carries the love for the Raiders that has become synonymous with his father. 'His passion for the club rubs off on me, especially at home,' the 24-year-old said. 'Our whole family loves it here. I'm not to the extent where I'll get emotional talking about little things like he does, but I care a lot.' That's always been the case since late 2013, when the Stuart family moved back to Canberra so Ricky could take his dream job: coaching the club where he won three premierships. 'I used to dread going to school after a loss, because I'd be so passionate and they'd be giving it to me. I'd want to get in a fight but I'd hold myself back,' Jed Stuart said with a smile. But these days, the younger Stuart knows how to keep his emotions in check, and will remain level-headed as his father weighs up a big selection call on the wing. Tamale had been in the rookie of the year conversation before being struck down by a knee injury in round 14. He is expected to be available in the coming weeks. Stuart knows it could be the first time he's had a tough selection chat with his father. 'It'll probably be hard on him, but I'll take none of it personally,' he said. 'Whoever the coaching staff pick to go there will do a job, which I think is what me and 'Savie' have both proved.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
He plays the toughest position in the NRL - but this hard-man Broncos star is preparing for life after footy in the LAST business you'd expect
Tough-as-teak Brisbane prop Ben Talty is the fragrance king of the NRL and fast asserting himself as a late bloomer rookie with a long career ahead of him. The 26-year-old former North Sydney Bears captain has been a barnstormer off the bench for the Broncos in their late season surge and off the field he is kicking goals galore. Talty has a Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In cahoots with best mate and fellow Broncos prop Fletcher Baker, he is co-founder of Nefertum, a luxury fragrance brand that blends pure Egyptian oils with Australian craftsmanship. The name pays homage to Nefertiti, the famous queen of ancient Egypt. 'Fletcher and I decided we wanted to go to Egypt one year but we didn't have the idea of going and setting up a fragrance business,' Talty grinned. 'My mother told me to go and try out an oil shop, and we did that at a couple of shops over there. 'We kept in touch with a good friend of ours over there, an awesome fella, and he's our supplier. He sends it over here and we just check it and sell it.' What former Broncos hardmen like Peter Ryan, Tonie Carroll and Shane Webcke would make of it is anyone's guess, but you can bet your bottom dollar they would be in admiration of Talty's displays after getting his late shot at the NRL and vindicating coach Michael Maguire's faith in him. Talty, a Muswellbrook Rams junior, has scored three tries in his five NRL games this year after signing with Brisbane mid-season and brings punch and thrust every time he comes on. 'It's something I thought that would never come true,' Talty said. 'I was working away at North Sydney. You play footy for so long and you get to a certain age and you start to question whether it's all going to work out. 'I'm just fortunate enough that Madge (Maguire) and the rest of the staff and recruitment put a little bit of faith in me. 'I grew up on a horse stud just out of Muswellbrook in the Hunter (Valley), so my parents had to always take me to training Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was a four-hour round trip, so being able to repay them for this and be in this position and make them proud, it's just such an honour to do that.' Talty is on a train-and-trial deal until the end of 2026. The Broncos could upgrade that at any stage. Perth Bears fans are already clamouring for Talty to be a foundation player in 2027 when they enter the NRL. 'All I ever wanted to do was play first grade, and the Broncos made that come true so I'm quite content with where I am at currently,' he said. 'The Bears will always have a deep place in my heart because they helped build the foundation of where I am now. 'I'm still a long way from where I want to be as well. It's a great start, but I'm looking further ahead.' Talty was a Newcastle junior from the age of 15 so can't wait to take on the Knights away on Sunday. 'They helped pave the way. It should be an unreal experience,' he said.
