Lance Collard #

Introduction #

Lance Collard is an Australian rules footballer with St Kilda who was found guilty by the AFL of using a homophobic slur towards an opponent during a VFL match in March 2026. He was suspended, and although an appeals board subsequently reduced the length of his ban, the governing body’s chief executive publicly condemned the reduction, opening a rift within the senior ranks of Australian football.

Background Information #

Collard, 21, was taken by St Kilda in the 2023 draft and had played 15 AFL games at the time of the finding. The incident occurred during a VFL match on 27 March 2026 against Frankston. He was already serving a two-match ban stemming from a high hit on an opponent in the same VFL match. It was the second time in three seasons Collard had been found guilty of using homophobic language in a VFL match: he was banned for six matches in 2024 after admitting to using the same slur on-field.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Adjudicated. An AFL disciplinary tribunal found Lance Collard guilty of conduct unbecoming (Rule 2.3(a)) for using a homophobic slur towards a Frankston opponent during a VFL match, and an appeals board upheld that guilty finding while reducing the sanction. Collard denied using the slur, insisting he said “Come here, maggot”; the finding against him stands as a matter of AFL record. The appeal board itself described the comment as “disgraceful in the view of the appeal board and clearly homophobic”.

Collard had rejected suggestions he called his Frankston opponent a slur during the VFL match. He insisted he said, “Come here, maggot”, to Frankston player Darby Hipwell, who told the tribunal: “He had his head up against my ear and he said the words to me, ‘Darby, you ‘fing f**’.” The allegation was supported by Hipwell’s teammate Bailey Lambert. After a hearing spanning two days, the AFL confirmed the tribunal had upheld the charge, saying it had “no tolerance for the use of homophobic language in our game”.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The tribunal initially handed Collard a sanction of nine weeks (seven weeks plus two suspended), but the appeals board reduced it to four weeks with two suspended after a two-hour hearing in which St Kilda argued the original sanction was manifestly excessive. The board declared a penalty of that extent “would finish him off as a player of professional football”, describing it as “crippling” for his career. Houghton said: “The comment found to have been made by Collard is disgraceful in the view of the appeal board and clearly homophobic. A comment like that has no place on the football field.” The board noted Collard’s age, Indigenous heritage and difficult background, and that the target of the slur, Frankston’s Darby Hipwell, had previously told the tribunal he was not offended by it.

The reduction opened a rift at the top of the sport. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon issued an extraordinary statement saying “stronger action was not only warranted, it was necessary”, and “specifically rejects” the appeals board’s reasoning that it is “commonplace that players can employ language from time to time which is racist, sexist or homophobic whilst on the field”. “Let’s be clear: homophobia has no place in Australian football. Not at any level. Not under any circumstances”, Dillon said. AFL Players Association chief executive James Gallagher said the entire process had harmed the LGBTQIA+ community, the First Nations community and the individuals involved. The AFL ultimately accepted the appeals board’s decision and considered the matter closed.

Current Status #

As of late April 2026, Collard was serving a reduced ban of four weeks with two suspended, and was free to return to the opportunity of representing St Kilda at AFL level for the first time since round 24 of the previous season. St Kilda expressed disappointment that the charge was upheld but welcomed the reduction, saying the club “remains focused on supporting Lance throughout what has been a challenging period”.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The finding marked Collard as a repeat offender for homophobic language in Australian football, with the appeals board itself noting his previous misconduct in 2024 was “probably far more serious than the present offence”. The episode put his AFL career in the balance — the tribunal process drew comparisons to other controversial rulings, and St Kilda coach Ross Lyon labelled the tribunal process a “firestorm” that put unnecessary stress on the individuals involved. For the sport, the dispute between the AFL and its own appeals board over the strength of the sanction became a public test of the league’s commitment to stamping out homophobic language, with Dillon insisting “respect and inclusion are not optional in our game, they are fundamental”.