Dani Laidley reveals shocking detail about the AFL's fight to stamp out homophobic abuse as she slams the league for dropping the ball
It came as 20-year-old Sydney Swans player, Riak Andrew, is facing a sanction for an alleged spray during the Swans' 11-point VFL victory against North Melbourne on Saturday.
Andrew, who admitted his remorse over the incident, is the fifth player or coach in the past two years who has been called infront of the AFL's Integrity Unit over a homophobic comment.
'This just keeps happening and I don't think enough time has been put into it. The AFL are dropping the ball,' Laidley, a rainbow advocate, said to The Herald Sun.
'I know time is scarce at AFL clubs but where does the priority lie? Are we going to keep getting one of these instances once a fortnight?
'Gill organised for me to do a presentation to his executive and also one to Tanya's team and we talked about doing some work at club level around this topic and since Gill left there has been no follow-up.'
It came after it was revealed that Sydney Swans youngster Riak Andrew is being investigated for a homophobic comment he made during a VFL match
Right now there are no known current gay or bisexual players competing in the AFL. Laidley believed that the league's approach to education around the subject may be pushing gay and transgender players further away.
The former Kangaroos coach had provided advice to Gillon McLachlan, proposing individual talks with footy clubs on diversity and inclusion.
However, that, according to The Herald Sun, has been shelved. Instead players now complete mandatory online seminars about homophobia.
'And then I saw a press conference where Tanya Hosch was saying we have done an online training module and I just thought: 'Really? You can't be serious about it if you are doing online training modules',' Laidley added, seething over how the AFL are handling the issue.
'It should be about education, storytelling and life experiences.
'We have had AFL coaches (with anti-gay slurs) and we have had it at AFL level, and in the VFL and WAFL and in Queensland. The population of the rainbow community within the AFL ranks could be 50 or 60 or 70 men. And it affects them in different ways.'
The AFLPA has also hit out at the league in recent years for its approach to clamping down on homophobia.
AFLPA chief Paul Marsh criticised the AFL for a double standard, following Jeremy Finlayson's homophobic remarks.
The Power forward was slapped with a three-match suspension in 2024 for an alleged homophobic remark that was directed to an Essendon player.
Alaistair Clarkson also copped a fine for calling a player a 'c*** sucker', while Will Powell and Lance Collard were both also handed suspensions.
'We believe the AFL is consistently inconsistent and there are double standards in its approach to dealing with players compared to others on behavioural matters,' AFLPA boss, Marsh, explained.
'This issue highlights the lack of clarity on how the AFL handles these situations and we want this to be the catalyst for an urgent review of the sanctioning framework.'
Laidley reflected on her own experiences. She recalled how she would feel uncomfortable when she overheard homophobic comments being made as a player.
The 58-year-old made 221 appearances in footy's top flight, playing for West Perth, West Coast and North Melbourne, notably winning a premiership with the Roos in 1996.
Laidley was appallingly outed in 2020, by a police officer, before she had the chance to share her transition with family and friends.
'I can go back to when I was involved at AFL and I would hear conversations about who is the gay footballer? I would run for the hills,' Laidley added.
'My anxiety would skyrocket. I would withdraw into my workplace. My mental health would spiral uncontrollably.
'Any time things like this hit the media I can guarantee you any person in the rainbow community who is playing or coaching at AFL level will have their mental health (concerns) elevated.
'People say they are only words but those words turn into how a person feels about themselves. I am through it and I am proud of who I am but it is the younger people within the AFL and also the younger supporters of the AFL. They will be thinking I am going to stop playing footy or cricket or any sport because this is what some of my teammates may think of me.'
According to a statement published on the Swan's website, Riak Andrew has admitted that he 'understands the language he used is unacceptable.'
The incident is said to have taken place during the Swans' 11-point win in the VFL against North Melbourne on Friday.
Andrew, 20, who is also the brother of Gold Coast star Mac, explained he was remorseful over the matter, with the AFL's integrity unit now having launched an investigation.
'This behaviour does not reflect the values of our club, and we take this matter very seriously,' Swns CEO Tom Harley said in a statement.
'While it is disappointing, we recognise that Riak is at the beginning of his career and we will use this as an opportunity to provide support and education, to ensure Riak understands the impact of his words.'
Andrew is now facing the prospect of a punishment, which will likely include a suspension.
It comes as he has spent most of the season on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury.
The Swans are meanwhile preparing for their annual Pride Game at the SCG on August 2 against Essendon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lions injury update ahead of third Test
Garry Ringrose is ruled out of the third British and Irish Lions Test against Australia due to persistent concussion symptoms. He sustained a head injury against the Brumbies and was withdrawn from the second Test after reporting lingering impacts during training. Ringrose's absence means he will miss the opportunity to earn a Test cap on this tour, a significant blow for the player. Assistant coach Andrew Goodman confirmed Ringrose's disappointment but highlighted his continued leadership and team support. The Lions could see the return of Joe McCarthy, Mack Hansen, and Sione Tuipulotu, who trained fully, as they aim for a 3-0 series whitewash.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Absorbing Lions tour of Australia shows why best-of-three Test format works
What a richly rewarding few weeks it has been for the British & Irish Lions. Since their training camp in Portugal and pre-departure week in Ireland they have crisscrossed Australia and sampled the contrasting delights of Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne. Winning the series was the squad's primary objective but they have been actively encouraged to enjoy their time on tour, too. A Lions expedition is not just about what happens on the field. Henry Pollock, Duhan van der Merwe and Josh van der Flier have been to the Great Barrier Reef while Pierre Schoeman has been writing poetry. Others have headed to the golf course or strolled the beaches of Bondi and Coogee with their families. The squad's eight games in Australia to date have whizzed past but the players will still return home with plenty of non‑rugby memories. The best-of-three format has also yielded some absorbing storylines, despite the Lions' 2-0 advantage heading into the final Test this weekend. How many would have guessed at half-time in the first Test in Brisbane, for example, that the Lions would be 23-5 down after half an hour the following week in Melbourne? Or that the Wallabies could be so transformed in the space of just eight days? It is the beauty of an old-school series. What happened last Saturday will not necessarily pertain to this week. There will be ebb and flow and, by the end, the players' strengths and weaknesses will have been more fully revealed. So, too, the coaches' ability to change the picture. Even in defeat, the Wallabies' first‑half display was testament to Joe Schmidt's tactical nous. Look at the difference that Rob Valetini and Will Skelton made having sat out the first Test. After a quiet game in Brisbane, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii gave everyone a glimpse of why he is so highly rated. The Lions, for their part, stayed calm when it mattered with their half-backs calling the shots while Hugo Keenan, struck down by illness in the early stages of the tour, did brilliantly to deliver the coup de grace. A tour, in short, has an infinitely more varied, deeper narrative than a standalone Test week. If a northern hemisphere team win a series down south it also has a wider context. Until now the Lions had managed just one series victory since 1997. That gives their achievement here more resonance than, say, a one-off Test involving a team who have only popped in for a week. Hence the reason why not everyone is turning cartwheels at the idea of the new Nations Championship which is scheduled to kick off next year. Instead of the traditional touring arrangements, the six leading European sides will play the top five sides from the southern hemisphere plus Japan. To use England as an example, they are scheduled to have August games against Fiji, South Africa and Argentina in 2026 and then play November Tests against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. At least one head coach of a major nation hates the idea. 'I don't like it at all,' he told me this year, citing the extra travel involved for many teams. Maybe if his side wins the Nations Championship final, set for London next year, Doha in 2028 and New York in 2030, he will change his view but, for now, the jury is very definitely out. The Guardian also understands Fiji's mooted 'home' games next year against England, Wales and Scotland will be played in Europe to ensure more money for the Pacific Island side. That adds up in terms of their longer‑term financial future but kills stone-dead the romantic notion of taking the touring road less travelled. England have not played in Fiji since 1991 and New Zealand have still never played a full-capped international there. At least there continue to be a few pockets of hope, with South Africa and New Zealand having agreed to resume hosting 'proper' tours in each other's countries. Next year the All Blacks are scheduled to head to South Africa for an eight-game trip including three Tests, marking the 30th anniversary of the last traditional tour between the two nations in 1996 when the All Blacks defeated the Springboks 2-1. A reciprocal tour is planned in New Zealand in 2030 with both unions clearly keen to replicate the kind of model that continues to be so successful for the Lions. And with the Lions to travel to face the All Blacks in 2029 and, theoretically, South Africa in 2033 there is clearly still financial mileage in touring if the teams involved are sufficiently box office and the games suitably competitive. Which is another reason why the match last Saturday was significant for Australia. Tim Horan, the great former Wallaby centre, called it 'the most important Test match for the Wallabies since the 2015 World Cup final', not just in terms of the result but the team's ability to reconnect with the nation. Ultimately Australia did not get the result they wanted but clawed back a good deal of respect. They now need to do the same again in Sydney to sidestep a dispiriting 3-0 clean sweep. A 2-1 outcome would unquestionably be a better bargaining chip when the time comes to start negotiating over whether the Lions will return to Australia in 2037 as per the existing tour rota. That is because the other ingredient that makes touring special – besides the off-field fun and camaraderie – is the intensity of the midweek games. It was only in Melbourne in week five that any real matchday jeopardy emerged on this Lions tour, courtesy of the First Nations & Pasifika XV and then the Wallabies. There are plenty who believe France would offer a more compelling fixture list and a spectacular tour experience. Let us all pray, either way, that rugby tours of the future do not become glorified business trips. With a week of the series to go there is still one outstanding issue to be resolved. Who will win the newly rechristened Tom Richards player of the series medal, named after the only Australian-born player to have featured for both the Wallabies and Lions? Tadhg Beirne and Maro Itoje, the respective players of the match in Brisbane and Melbourne, will clearly be in the discussion but so, too, will Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park, Dan Sheehan and Tom Curry. The array of names in the frame reflects the fact this Lions side have not been reliant on one or two individuals; whoever receives the medal will be swift to highlight the efforts of those around him. The Wallabies have already indicated that Saturday's final Test is not a meaningless game from their perspective. And the Lions would dearly love to fly home with a 3-0 series victory. So who should Andy Farrell pick? It makes sense to freshen up the starting XV and the bench to some extent, with Blair Kinghorn, Sione Tuipulotu, Ben Earl and possibly Henry Pollock among those in contention. It also depends on the physical condition of a couple of players at the end of a long season. What Farrell will not be doing, however, is throwing around Lions Test caps like confetti. Farrell is a winner and making life easier for the opposition has never been his style. March 1980: centre Paul Dodge, fly-half Dusty Hare, hooker Peter Wheeler and centre Clive Woodward make up a Leicester quartet of England's XV at Murrayfield before a grand slam decider in the Five Nations. England won 30-18, Hare slotting over two conversions and two penalties. 'I am a bit resentful that some people have labelled us a poor side,' said England's Bill Beaumont. 'It seems like sour grapes. Any team that wins both away matches by scoring heavily must deserve the sort of rewards we earned.' England would not collect another slam until 1991. As they eye a clean sweep, Andy Farrell and his charges stand on the verge of all-time greatness. Maro Itoje has earned his place in the pantheon of Lions greats, reckons Gerard Meagher. And Finn Russell enjoyed the last-gasp nature of getting the job done with a match to spare. There are nine 8/10 scores across the two in Lee Calvert's player ratings from the second Test. And Jack Snape identifies the game Wallabies display as a potential new beginning for rugby in Australia. Meanwhile, in a south Wales village, Andy Bull took in the game alongside members of the amateur club where Jac Morgan started his journey to Lionhood. Away from the Lions, the Wallaroos were stunned by Wales, who ended a staggering 818-day winless streak on the road with victory in Brisbane. To subscribe to The Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. And sign up for The Recap, the best of our sports writing from the past seven days.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trio return for final Lions Test but ‘devastated' Garry Ringrose misses out
The British and Irish Lions' quest to whitewash Australia has been reinforced by the return from injury of Joe McCarthy, Sione Tuipulotu and Mack Hansen, but Garry Ringrose will play no part in Saturday's final Test. McCarthy, Tuipulotu and Hansen are in contention for the Sydney showdown after missing Saturday's 29-26 victory over the Wallabies that clinched the series with a game to spare. All three have completed their rehab for their respective foot, hamstring and foot injuries and took part in Tuesday's low-key training session. However, Ringrose has been left 'devastated' as the 12-day minimum return-to-play protocol for concussion means he will miss the entirety of a series which he entered as first choice outside centre. The Ireland star self-reported his concussion symptoms shortly before the team for the second Test was named last Thursday, resulting in his withdrawal from the starting XV. 'Garry was playing some amazing rugby throughout this tour,' attack coach Andrew Goodman said. 'It's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that, but he wanted to be a Test-match Lion so it's been devastating for him. 'He's disappointed for himself, but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can.' Andy Farrell announces his team for the third Test on Thursday and must decide to what extent he should freshen up his matchday 23 given they went toe to toe with the Wallabies for 80 gripping minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground. There is also the question of whether to rotate in players as reward for those who have missed out so far in the series, but Goodman has discounted this approach. 'It will be the best team available to win the series. That might look like some changes, that might look like consistency,' he said. 'You've got to reward form when guys have been playing well and are match-hardened in those Test matches. It is a balance.' The Lions celebrated their success with friends and family for two days but have now hardened their resolve to become the first side to record a whitewash since the 1927 visit to Argentina and first side to go unbeaten in the Tests since the 1974 expedition to South Africa. 'It's huge. It's everything for us as a group to get excited about,' Goodman said. 'It was 1974 the last time a Lions team went through the Test series unbeaten, so there's huge motivation for the group. 'Andy has been massive on that since the start, his expectation not just of the players but us as management and coaches to be the most successful team. 'It has been driving us not just as players, but as a management group every day to get better every day and push each other forward. 'After two hard, physical Tests it's about getting the battery filled up and making sure we're good to go by the end of the week.'
