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The AFL has issued a statement saying it has contacted Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and apologised after AFL counsel Andrew Woods described Franklin’s hit on Trent Cotchin as ‘cowardly.’
The comment sparked outrage from Sydney goalsneak Tom Papley.
Franklin’s one-match suspension for a strike on the former Richmond captain was upheld after a tense few hours, during which Swans counsel Duncan Miller claimed Cotchin ‘might earn an invite to the Logies instead of the Brownlow this year’.
However, Papley put the spotlight on Woods’ response, which described the hit as a ‘cowardly’ act from Franklin.
“It’s precisely what a professional AFL player should know what not to do,” Woods said at the hearing.
“It’s brazen, it’s cowardly and the opposing player isn’t expecting that to happen to him.
“It’s AFL, not Fight Club or a combat sport.”
Speaking on Thursday, Papley said Woods’ remark was disrespectful towards Franklin.
“What he’s done over his career speaks for itself,” he said.
“He made a mistake and everyone makes mistakes but those comments probably aren’t needed, I don’t think.”
Chief among Papley’s concerns is replacing Franklin for the Swans’ blockbuster clash with Melbourne on Saturday night, with the champion forward kicking five goals in their comeback win over the Tigers.
Papley said the Swans’ experience without the 35-year old throughout 2020 gives him confidence they can still defeat the reigning premiers, but believes the load will need to be shared throughout the team.
“It’s obviously disappointing [to lose Franklin] but in previous years we’ve actually done well without him,” Papley said.
“Will Hayward’s kicking goals, Isaac Heeney, Sam Reid last week kicked three. I’m confident the boys can get the system going without him.”
The AFL today issued a statement saying that comments made at the tribunal were unacceptable.
There are no cowardly players in the AFL, let alone Lance Franklin.
AFL STATEMENT
Lance Franklin is a champion of our game.
In the making of submissions, Legal Counsel Assisting the Tribunal used his own words to describe the circumstances of the strike on Trent Cotchin, namely that Mr Cotchin was reasonably not expecting to be struck by Mr Franklin.
Trent Cotchin is a Premiership Captain and one of the most respected leaders in the competition.
It is the AFL’s view that rhetorical flourishes of the nature used by both Counsel last night should not be part of the AFL tribunal process and they do not reflect the views of the AFL.
The AFL has today contacted Lance Franklin and the Sydney Swans to apologise for the comment and reiterated our respect for Lance and his standing in the game.
Tom Papley. (Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Carlton recruit Sam Durdin is preparing to slot straight into the Blues’ AFL line-up, with the key defender snapped up in the mid-season draft following Jacob Weitering’s serious shoulder injury.
The Blues were already without tall duo Oscar McDonald (back) and Mitch McGovern (hamstring) for extended periods, while Liam Jones retired in the off-season after refusing the AFL’s COVID vaccine mandate. Weitering’s injury blow in their loss to Collingwood in Round 11 left their key defensive stocks all but depleted.
Speaking to the AFL website, Durdin, who played 22 games for North Melbourne between 2017 and 2020 and has been starring in the SANFL for Glenelg this season, said he was ‘ready to go’.
“I’m looking forward to working hard and hopefully getting an opportunity,” Durdin said after being taken with pick 13 in the mid-season draft.
“We’re [Carlton] in a great position at the moment, being a competitive side all year. Hopefully I can add to that.”
Durdin will be joined in navy blue by fellow mid-season recruit Will Hayes, a 26-year old outside midfielder who played 11 games for the Western Bulldogs between 2019 and 2020.
Others expected to push for immediate AFL debuts are West Coast’s number one draft pick Jai Culley, new Hawthorn ruckman Max Ramsden (pick six), and North Melbourne intercepting defender Kallan Dawson (pick two), who has risen from the amateurs to VFL club Williamstown in the space of a year.
>> Every club, every pick: Find out who your team picked in the mid-season draft
The heartwarming story of the night came when Fremantle opted for key forward Sebit Kuek from East Perth in the WAFL, with news of the 21-year old’s selection delighting his teammates at training.
Seven West Media boss James Warburton wants the new Labor government to close a loophole in the controversial federal anti-siphoning laws, to nip plans for the AFL to look overseas for a new major broadcast rights partner in the bud.
Reports have circled that the league is considering including international streaming giants Amazon and Paramount in the next rights deal, which begins at the end of 2024.
Speaking at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) in Sydney, Nine Media reports that Warburton, whose network has been the major broadcast partner of the AFL since 2007, called for Labor to make good on pre-election promises to change anti-siphoning laws and restrict global streaming services from out-bidding local free to air broadcasters for sporting events.
“Free means keeping sport on free TV by ensuring Australians have access to events like the Olympics or their local AFL derby without having to pay,” Warburton said.
“This is achieved through the anti-siphoning list, which ensures the most popular sporting events are on free-to-air television and not on subscription television.
But there is a loophole in the anti-siphoning list. Currently, there is nothing preventing sporting codes selling directly to streaming companies, with the entire sport disappearing behind a paywall.
“Closing this loophole should be an important priority for the new government, and we are pleased that the Prime Minister and [Communications] Minister Rowland have both committed to keeping sport free and a review of anti-siphoning as a policy of this new government.
“Australians also want, expect and deserve to be able to watch sport on TV, for free – be it AFL, NRL, cricket, the Olympics or the Melbourne Cup.
“They don’t want the sports they know and love locked behind paywalls. The love of sport – and access to sport for free on TV – is a core part of Australian life.”
Current anti-siphoning laws block pay television networks such as Foxtel from bidding on sports until a free-to-air network has had the chance to purchase them, but the rules do not apply to streaming services.
However, the current laws proved easy to circumvent in Cricket Australia’s controversial 2018 media rights deal, in which Seven and Foxtel joined forces to pay $1.2 billion for the rights, with the free-to-air broadcaster only showing Test cricket and a portion of the Big Bash League.
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