St Kilda player Lance Collard's AFL Tribunal hearing for his alleged use of a homophobic slur during a VFL match against the Frankston Dolphins has been halted, and will carry over to Friday as the Tribunal has not come to a decision.
The four-hour marathon hearing was unable to reach a verdict.
"We're well advanced in our discussions and deliberations, but not in a position to communicate our position. We are meeting again tomorrow and will resume our deliberations. We're confident we'll be in a position to deliver brief written reasons tomorrow,," chair Jeff Gleeson said.
The alleged incident occurred in Round 2, when the Saints faced the Dolphins, and Collard has strongly denied that he used a slur of that nature, instead claiming he used the word "maggot".
The alleged slur is a breach of the AFL's "conduct unbecoming" rule, and it will be the first time an AFL player will front the Tribunal in such a manner, with most hearings reserved for suspendable actions.
Collard was previously banned for six games after using a homophobic slur in 2024.
COLLARD HEARING LIVE
5:14pm - The Tribunal is in no position to communicate their decision.
A decision will be handed down to Collard tomorrow.
4:29pm - The Tribunal is now deliberating.
4:27pm - The AFL, in regards to the statutory declaration, questioned whether the Victorian Police would actually take interest in this case.
4:21pm - The hearing is determining whether Rule 2.3 or Rule 35 will be imposed if Collard is found guilty.
Chair Jeff Gleeson: "There's at least the prospect, given we have a 5pm deadline, that we either won't reach a determination today or if we do, we aren't in a position to deliver written reasons today."
3:55pm - If found guilty, St Kilda is arguing that Collard would not have breached Rule 2.3 (conduct unbecoming or prejudicial to the interests of the AFL), and ought to have been addressed under the Peek rule, Rule 35, which relates to vilification or discrimination.
Collard's alleged remark, if found guilty by the Tribunal, should fall short of breaching Rule 2.3, says St Kilda.
Under Rule 35, the process would rely on confidentiality. Rule 2.3 is "misdirected in these cases".
3:34pm - St Kilda and Collard submits:
"There's no objective evidence. That alone is a powerful reason why you would not be comfortably satisfied of the allegation.
"Consistent denials from Mr.Collard... He took a voluntary oath.
"He voluntarily exposed himself to the risk of perjury, in order to clear his name. That's how certain he is.
"We say you should believe Mr.Collard in his evidence. It's deserving of great weight both because he's the speaker and he can't honestly be mistaken and because he's been perfectly consistent throughout."
"There is no logical possibility for the Tribunal other than to find Mr Collard is knowingly lying, or not to be comfortably satisfied of the charge. There is no middle ground here."
St Kilda also questioned the AFL's submission regarding Collard's 2024 offence, saying he came forward and engaged in education based on the previous witnesses.
On the Frankston players, the Saints submitted: "It's clear they colluded in their stories - not meant in the sense of dishonesty or concoction - but they plainly compared notes and told each other what they thought they heard."
They also questioned why the AFL did not record the interviews with the Frankston players, adding to the potential unfairness and reliability of their recounts, and ultimately to the case.
3:25pm - The AFL submits:
"The AFL's position is that you should be comfortably satisfied that the phrase "you're a f****** f*****, and not 'come here maggot' was used for a number of reasons.
"The first is that Mr.Collard has done it before.
"The word alleged to have been used being f***** is precisely the same word used in the past, in a similar situation... says that the player has a tendency to use that word on a football field when frustrated or angry.
"Mr.Hipwell was obviously uncomfortable to be part of the process, but his evidence was clear and emphatic. He withstood cross examination, he was very close to Mr.Collard when the words were said.
"The uncomfortable process simply for retribution albeit that it's clear that they were liable to be required to attend as you heard in his evidence.
"Mr. Lambert's immediate reaction in the vision... the immediate spinning around, pointing the finger and shouting what he says, he doesn't pause in any way. He doesn't have time to concoct anything, there's no smile on his face.
"Maggot is not a familiar term on 2026 on a football field.
"Two players in the proximity hear exactly the same thing.
"It's inherently unlikely that the words, 'come here maggot' were the words used at the moment cause he's essentially in the process of letting Hipwell go.
"That's the ultimate submission from the AFL."
3:21pm - The AFL suggested that Collard chose the word "maggot" because it sounds very close to the alleged homophobic remark "f*****".
"Me and my mates say it (maggot) a lot," Collard said.
3:08pm - Collard said that he said to Hipwell, "I grabbed him and said, come here maggot".
"I admitted it last time when I said it, but I never said it this time.
"I stood up and admitted it. I was remorseful. I've learned from it. I wouldn't make that mistake again."
Collard also signed a statutory declaration on the 2nd of April.
He spoke with St Kilda's Damian Carroll and Lenny Hayes straight after the game and told them immediately he had said maggot, not f****t.
"(Hipwell) didn't really say anything and he just walked off."
3:05pm - Conway has concluded giving evidence.
Collard has begun giving evidence.
2:57pm - St Kilda called on Hayley Conway, the CEO of Pride Cup, to give evidence. She conducted the educational session to Collard in 2024.
Her work is to provide and promote LBGTIQ inclusive environments through education and celebration, including 100-150 football clubs.
During her time with Collard, she helped explain the acronym - LBGTIQA+ - and helping players to understand different cohorts that form the full community. They covered the harm homophobic language use has and the impact.
"I found Lance to be very engaged in the session. He seemed quite nervous at the start … he was quite remorseful, shy and also really thoughtful in his comments especially as the session went on," Conway said.
2:55pm - Amon acknowledged the growth of Collard, including during the 2024 homophobic slur that resulted in a six-game suspension.
"I think he has learned a lot and I think that was part of his personal journey. The fact that he owned it and moved forward to developing himself as a person.
Amon concluded giving evidence.
2:53pm - St Kilda has called its Indigenous Player Development Manager Aunty Katrina Amon to give evidence.
Amon has known Collard since his draft interviews and supported his move from WA to Victoria to become an AFL player.
2:43pm - Umpire Morgan has concluded giving evidence.
The hearing will break for five minutes.
2:37pm - Umpire Morgan said he called the AFL's Head of Officiating Stephen McBurney that night, and wrote a strictly confidential letter and lodged it the following morning.
2:36pm - Umpire Morgan said he spoke to Hipwell on the phone following the match after the Frankston team manager connected the pair.
He said he didn't hear the alleged slur, and despite wearing a microphone, that he has not heard the recording and is unable to listen to the recording.
2:32pm - Umpire Sam Morgan has been called to give evidence.
Morgan confirmed that a Frankston player approached him during the three-quarter time break, saying he wanted to report the alleged homophobic slur.
He didn't continue with the report as he needed to return to his huddle.
2:27pm - Lambert denied mishearing what Collard is claiming he said: "maggot".
He also confirmed that he initially didn't want to give evidence during the hearing, but instead was compelled too.
"I was told it would make the case stronger," Lambert said.
Lambert has concluded giving evidence.
2:21pm - Lambert said that Collard pulled Hipwell in to whisper the alleged slur, but said it "the way you'd usually say it in a scuffle on a footy field."
Lambert admitted to calling Collard "weak", and acknowledged that he and Hipwell had spoken after the incident.
"We both just agreed on what we'd heard (in a full-time discussion), and then I just said to him, it was his thing to report," Lambert said.
"When we spoke, it was more saying we both heard it... and like the fact that we couldn't believe this bloke just said it."
2:15pm - Lambert denied saying the words "repeat offender" when it was put to him by Collard's representative.
Lambert confirmed that he knew about Collard's 2024 offence.
2:12pm - Lambert said he immediately alerted the umpire in the moment in a bid to receive a 50-metre penalty.
The umpire said he'd discuss the alleged incident, but Lambert said not during the game. And also left the discussion to teammate Darby Hipwell, given he was the one who the alleged comment was directed at.
2:08pm - Lambert confirms, via the vision showed to him by the AFL counsel, when the alleged slur was made.
"This where I carry on like a two-bob watch."
Lambert said that Collard said: "Darby, you're a f****** f*****."
In response to the level of confidence of his recollection, Lambert said: "100 percent. I wouldn't be here otherwise."
2:01pm - Hipwell has concluded giving evidence. Bailey Lambert has been called to give evidence.
Lambert was the Frankston player who heard the alleged homophobic remark, and was the one who alerted the adjudicating umpire of Collard's alleged slur towards his teammate.
1:52pm: Collard's representation revealed that the AFL is seeking a 10-game suspension, if he is found guilty.
"It's quite possible you misheard or misunderstood him? I'm not saying you're lying, I'm saying it's gotta be possible," Collard's representative said.
"There's no possibility I misheard him. I know exactly what he said," Hipwell replied.
"What he said was ‘maggot'. He said ‘come here, maggot'," Borsky said.
"You might've just been mistaken - it's (maggot) a word you've said you never heard before on the footy field.
Hipwell responded: "I was not mistaken at all."
1:51pm - Hipwell admitted that he was not personally offended by the alleged comment, but acknowledged that it shouldn't be said.
1:45pm - Collard's representative suggests that no one in and around the contest, where the alleged remark was made, heard the slur directed to Hipwell.
1:25pm - Collard's representative pulled up a report between Hipwell and an AFL investigator the day after the alleged incident.
It states that Hipwell couldn't see Collard, but recognised his voice due to the time they spent together at Sandringham.
The investigator also noted that Hipwell and teammate Bailey Lambert discussed the alleged incident at three quarter-time and following the match.
1:18pm - Collard's representative suggested that Hipwell used derogatory terms towards the Saint.
He denied using the word 'coward', but said: "I can't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of 'you're an idiot mate'."
1:13pm - Hipwell on what Collard said to him: "Darby, you f***ing f****t."
"I could not be more confident in what I heard."
1:09pm - Dolphins player Darby Hipwell has been called to give evidence.
Hipwell says that prior to the alleged slur, teammate Jackson Voss had kicked the ball, and Collard had hit him in the head, and he went down.
"Play stopped, and Jackson went down for a few minutes. The trainers came out and the play halted for a few minutes.
"There was a bit of a scuffle."
1:05pm - The AFL will call on three witnesses. A pair of Frankston players (one who the comment was directed to; the other who heard the word and reported it to the umpire) as well as the umpire.
The league's representative said the umpire didn't hear the alleged remark, but it was reported to them following the incident.
