Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has allegedly been the target of “harmful and abhorrent racist remarks” from a St Kilda fan, in a case that has sparked an AFL investigation.
The incident occurred during the Saints’ 51-point win over the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.
Both clubs are working with the AFL to identify people involved and have condemned the racist comments.
Ugle-Hagan has been given Monday off by the Bulldogs, according to the Herald Sun.
“Racism of any kind does not belong in our game, nor in our society. We cannot tolerate it,” the Bulldogs said in a statement.
“Comments like these are extremely upsetting and cause significant hurt and harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“They are said to intentionally harm, and we continue to be confronted by them as a community.
“We’re saddened by the constant need to reinforce the negative impact this has on the individuals concerned, and all First Nations people.
“We will continue to make a stand and call out this behaviour, and use our voice to further educate our fans and the wider community.
“The club is supporting Jamarra, his family, and others within the club who have justifiably been impacted by this event.”
St Kilda are aware of the allegations and say they are united with the Bulldogs in attempting to stamp out racism.
“To be repeatedly addressing these repugnant instances of racism is a blight on our game and society,” the Saints said in a statement.
“We will continue to stamp out and call out this unacceptable behaviour by having these important conversations, as well as make ongoing education available for the wider community.
“As a club, we are committed to building greater awareness of the harm caused through comments such as these.”
Richmond’s Nathan Broad will front the AFL Tribunal after being charged with rough conduct after an incident that left Adelaide’s Patrick Parnell concussed.
Broad is facing a minimum three-week ban for his sling tackle, which was assessed by the match review officer as careless conduct, high contact and severe impact.
The three-times premiership defender was not offered the chance for an early guilty plea.
Port Adelaide defender Ryan Burton also faces a two-match ban for his tackle on Collingwood forward Jamie Elliott.
Burton was also charged with rough conduct, but his incident was assessed as high rather than severe impact and this saved him from a direct referral to the tribunal.
Like Broad, Burton’s tackle was rated as high contact and careless conduct.
Also on Sunday, North Melbourne co-captain Jy Simpkin was charged with striking Fremantle’s Caleb Serong and was handed a one-game suspension.
Broad’s certain suspension further stretches the Richmond backline ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Collingwood.
Robbie Tarrant and Josh Gibcus are already out injured, with games against the Western Bulldogs and Sydney to follow.
Following Richmond’s 32-point win over Adelaide, coach Damien Hardwick conceded Broad was set for a stint on the sidelines.
“Nathan came and apologised to me and he will apologise to the young man (Parnell) as well,” Hardwick said.
“No one goes out there deliberately trying to hurt a player, it’s just in the heat of the battle.
“He (Broad) has got a duty of responsibility, he knows that and we understand that. So that will be dealt with during the week.”
Melbourne captain Max Gawn feared he had suffered a third ACL injury on Friday night that could have threatened the rest of his AFL career.
The Demons ruckman hurt his left knee early in the loss to Brisbane at the Gabba and immediately afterwards, the diagnosis was unclear in the changerooms.
“The word ‘ACL’ had been floated around, so for someone who’s done two and the people in the rooms couldn’t tell me if I had or hadn’t done it in terms of how my knee was presenting – the worst-case scenario does go (through) your mind,” Gawn said on Monday.
“I’m 31, I’m sort of getting towards the twilight and to do a third knee would have been pretty devastating for my own career.
“I was quite upset for a bit… the vulnerability to cry, I had a little tear in the changeroom.
“It was a big moment that got put on me in round two, at a time when you’re not expecting that news.”
By the following afternoon, Melbourne were able to confirm that Gawn had sprained his medial collateral ligament and would only be out for about four weeks.
Another ACL rupture would have ended his season.
“I did get some really good news in terms of scans, but how we interpret those scans … is still to come,” Gawn said.
“I’m pretty bullish about a return date.”
Gawn was also bullish about fellow ruckman Brodie Grundy, who now is Melbourne’s No.1 ruckman until he returns.
Grundy was recruited from Collingwood in the off-season after being injured for most of 2022 and Gawn was rapt with how he stepped up against Lions opponents Oscar McInerney and Darcy Fort.
“We needed him on Friday night, that’s for sure … when I went down in the first five minutes it was always going to be a daunting task,” Gawn said.
“He did a tremendous job. Who knows how long I’m out for – I still don’t know, I haven’t been into the club yet.”
Gawn could see the funny side on Monday morning as he fronted a media conference to promote Sunday’s Round for Reach charity game against Sydney at the SCG.
He handed over a club cheque for $25,000 to the Reach Foundation, co-founded by late Melbourne great Jim Stynes.
Friday’s game was held up for several minutes when the power went out.
“I wanted the game to be over as quickly as possible and it ended up being the longest game in history,” Gawn said.
© AAP
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
"It was a hard-ball get!"
One of the worst games of the star forward's whole career!
When people say a home-and-away match is finals-like, they're usually referring, at least in part, to its quality. That was far from the case…
What on earth was this from Jobe?
