St Kilda footballer Lance Collard is facing a potential 10-week suspension from the AFL after was was accused of using a gay slur on the field for a second time.
The tribunal met on Thursday but after a three and a half hour meetings failed to reach a decision, they will reconvene on Friday.
Collard is accused of calling Frankston opponent Darby Hipwell a “f…..g f…..t” in a VFL match between St Kilda and the Dolphins last month.
Collard, who is 21 years-old, has vehemently denied the accusations and claimed that he was misheard and had called his opponent a “maggot”
“I just grabbed him and said, ‘come here maggot’,” Collard told the hearing.
Collard was previously found to have used a gay slur during an AFL game in 2024 and was given a six‑match ban. He also undertook diversity training with Pride in Sport at his own expense. On that occasion he immediately owned up to uttering the slur.
Hipwell told the inquiry he was confident he had heard Collard clearly. Teammate Bailey Lambert also confirmed hearing Collard use the phrase.
Collard told the inquiry that the Frankston players had been winding him up and calling him a “coward”. Both Hipwell and Lambert denied calling Collard a coward. Hipwell said he had described the St Kilda player as “weak”, while Lambert said he’d called Coward an “idiot”.
