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Sledging hits a sick new low in the AFL

Julie Tullberg

by Julie Tullberg

12 Apr 05:56am

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Filed under: Afl, Football, Mick Malthouse, Sport

71 comments

The AFL hit rock bottom on Friday night after claims Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse allegedly called Saint forward Stephen Milne a “f***ing rapist” at quarter time.

Apology: Pies coach says sorry, but the damage has been done.

Milne and his teammate Leigh Montagna was cleared of rape allegations in 2004 following a much-publicised investigation in 2004. The incident shook up the AFL, which has had its fair share of unsavoury revelations amongst its players ever since.

Malthouse is seen on television footage, engaging in a heated exchange with Milne. Magpies assistant coach Paul Licuria also spoke words that were allegedly unpleasant.

It is vile to hear of these personal slurs. It fails to live up to the spirit of the game.

Some of the language being used on the ground is disgraceful, often in the heat of the moment. Many players would brush off these personal attacks, knowing it’s part and parcel of elite football.

Magpie captain Nick Maxwell initially defended Malthouse, denying the words. What captain wouldn’t?

The rubbish sprayed from players’ mouths is an old-time tactic, designed to distract them from their game. On-field sledging, in fact, is a type of bullying, causing hurt and upset.

You would like to think sport is a game for gentlemen. But the aggression on the field shows animalistic behaviour. It’s still as rough as guts physically, but the vile rubbish from the footballers’ mouths is just as bad.

How many times to you see a player shout “f***” when they miss a goal? As a whipper snapper, I mingled with AFL players at training and after matches. The players spoke well, dressed well and were excellent role models for youngsters.

I think the personal standards are deteriorating and this is often captured on TV footage. Sure, there are many blokes of good character in the AFL.

But when you see Malthouse in a heated exchange with the opposition, you’ve got to ask: “What message is this sending to our younger generation? What are they learning from this?”

Aggression is normal behaviour in competitive men. We see it physically and verbally. But when it degenerates into something that could be illegal, we have to say: “enough”.

To diffuse the heated issue, Malthouse apologised for his comments to Milne and retracted them late last night.

St Kilda has accepted Malthouse’s apology. The Saints have now dropped the issue after first announcing they would take it up with the AFL.

The AFL is a pressure-cooker environment but the passion shouldn’t overflow on the field in a way that’s destructive.

I am calling for the AFL to enforce rules that prevent opposing teams, including off-field personnel, interacting with each other during breaks and after the siren. The AFL needs to take a strong stance on this problem and make serious changes.

The aggression has to be curbed to stop offensive behaviour.

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71 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • John A Neve says:

      07:07am | 12/04/10

      Julie,

      What do you really expect?  The game was only invented for those who could not play or understand any real games.

      Tight shorts, dumb blondes, pink helicopters. drugs, drunks and cheap TV programmes. Come on Julie, it’s not a game that gets world recognition is it?

      Reply

    • DG says:

      09:28am | 12/04/10

      ahhh the…. ‘world game” John!
      and what a quality game it is…..

      is that the one where playing earn squillions a day for kicking a round ball and barely scoring goals in a game, spending all the monies on slappers who blonde come out of a bottle and so does their class?

      a game so boring that to spark up the afternoon- the supporters go and roam the streets and smash anyone up who appears to where a color almost the same as the opposing team?

      a world game where supporters travel to other countires and start riots?

      a game where a player misses or looses a game so he is killed?

      a game where the acting of a “trip” can mean winning ?

      hmmm- wish i could understand that “game” John!

    • John A Neve says:

      09:49am | 12/04/10

      DG,
      What game are you talking about?

      As to understanding, what ever game it is, you obviously don’t understand it.  Maybe those tight short starved your brain of blood.

    • Jack Thomas says:

      09:57am | 12/04/10

      If anyone has noticed, the supposed “victim” Milne has readily accepted Mick’s apology.

      I’m guessing Milne doesn’t want his ‘incident’ re-visited.

      In case anyone wants to know, St.Kilda players Milne and Montagna were interviewed by Victoria Police in 2004 over rape allegations. The charges were dropped.

      George Defteros represented Stephen Milne.

      George Defteros represented Alphonse Gangitano, who was murdered in his Templestowe home in January 1998; Mick Gatto; Perth criminal identity, John Kizon; kickboxing referee Dave Hedgcock; and fugitive Mexican banker Carlos Cabal Peniche, who was wanted over a misunderstanding involving $1.12 billion. George Defteros Defteros was once involved in a fight with his office manager, George Marcus, outside the old City Court building in Russell Street. Marcus was shot dead in Box Hill in an unrelated incident in April 1997.

      Defteros once represented Gangitano on murder charges. According to a police report in 2004 “Both witnesses were then debriefed by Defteros and a staged audio tape made of both women recanting their statements.” The witnesses were then sent overseas, as Gangitano paid their tickets, etc., and the murder case collapsed.

      Police investigated whether they could charge Defteros with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice but were told they didn’t have a case. Defteros sent police a legal bill for $69,975.35 - Gangitano’s defence fee.

      He also represented lawyer-turned-alleged crime figure Mario Condello. Police charged Condello and Defteros with conspiracy to murder Williams, his father George and the unidentified minder for the father-son team.

      Police believe that another man, Lewis Caine, first took the contract to kill Condello, but the Carlton Crew learned of the plot and Caine was murdered first. His body was found in Brunswick on May 8. In a touching side story, Caine’s lawyer girlfriend Zara Garde-Wilson worked for Defteros. She successfully asked for sperm to be taken from Caine’s corpse so she could have his baby. Photos of Zara and her baby were front page news on The Herald Sun last week.

      Funny that no journo ever investigated why Milne used Defteros at the time.

      Surely Defteros was not recommended by a friend, surely Milne just picked his number out of the White Pages?...

    • Greek Snake says:

      09:48am | 12/04/10

      Yes DG, it’s obviously so boring that it captures the entire world stage.

      The backward redneck sorts might not get it. It’s a game of finesse and skill. Less about aggression and “rough as guts” type action that AFL promotes. While the world game isn’t free of it’s dirty side, it is a far cleaner atmosphere than AFL.

      Because of the reasons you mentioned, so much hangs on the actions of a single player at any given moment, to win or lose the game. That is why they are paid squillions of dollars. If given the opportunity, a player MUST score the goal which could, as you put it, win the game.

      What a coincidence, both sports have athletes who chase scantily clad blonde women. Could that have anything to do with the fact that gold diggers chase men with money?

      What you failed to mention is how your glorious game got its name. “Australian FOOTBALL League”. Interesting. A game where the clear majority of player contact with the ball is using their hands… yet it is called football? Perhaps a ploy to bear some resemblance to the “world game” so as to share the lime light?

    • Jack Thomas says:

      10:06am | 12/04/10

      Another client of lawyer Defteros was Hakki Suleyman, who was suspended on full-pay from his position as Labor Minister Justin Madden’s electorate officer.

      No connections there either, I am sure. Justin Madden woud have vetted his staff well, and never asked his Electorate Officer about his alternate jobs.

      People outside of Melbourne wonder why we are fascinated by the TV series Underbelly…

    • DG says:

      10:26am | 12/04/10

      Dear Mr Snake

      what a game to aspire too….missing a goal and being murderded for it!

      now thats something for all the world to join in!

    • FJ says:

      10:46am | 12/04/10

      Agreed. A game for talentless hacks who just weren’t good enough at proper sports.

    • Julie Tullberg says:

      11:58am | 12/04/10

      I suppose the colour, the fast action, the fights and the team tradition attracts the fans. AFL has a huge following across the country and it appears to be growing, because of clever marketing. There’s something very unique about AFL that bonds Australians. It’s a sport like no other. However, personal standards (like in most sports) should be high because of the behaviour that the youth of this country soaks up. Whether they like it or not, the AFL players are celebrities under the watchful eye of impressionable fans.

    • DG says:

      12:21pm | 12/04/10

      Agreed Julie
      something very intrinsically Australian about it

      BUT

      As to youth and behaviour…...where does that leave the coach’s behaviour then?

    • John A Neve says:

      12:58pm | 12/04/10

      Julie,

      Come on, the AFL is not a “sport” it’s a profession. Perhaps you’d like to define “sport” for us?

    • Sam Newman says:

      02:35pm | 12/04/10

      Collingwood vs. St.Kilda is now like the Iran / Iraq war.

      You don’t care who wins you just hope they really kick the sh1t out of each other.

    • thanks 4 listening says:

      03:36pm | 12/04/10

      @ Jack Thomas ... A defence lawyer is a professional who specialises in defending individuals accused, suspected or charged usually with serious crime/s. Aside from representing the defendant, defence lawyers are a necessary part of a fair and working justice system. It’s a mistake imply a person’s guilt by connecting them to their lawyer’s other clients, and not just from the technical legal perspective.

    • NS Welshmen says:

      07:04pm | 12/04/10

      John A Neve@ are you talking about the MacDonald’s of football codes? I’m confused I thought the topic was about Australian Football.

    • NS Welshmen says:

      07:05pm | 12/04/10

      Greek Snake@ Strange logic, in the MacDonald’s game which is more than an activity than a sport, you can score a goal with your head. Does that make it headball? And some times you can score with your hand. Does that make it handball? Or maybe it’s kneeball , bumball, and even wedding tackle ball, ouch! In Australian football you can only score a goal with the foot on the ball = Football. It’s logical!

    • Pink chopper says:

      08:35pm | 13/04/10

      Love the tight shorts, dumb blondes and pick choppers. Great reading.

    • Coxy says:

      07:42am | 12/04/10

      You’re right, its a pressure cooker environment out on the field and things are going to be said. Not sure that there’s much you can do about that, just so long as it doesn’t spill over beyond the boundary.

      Milney seriously couldn’t have expected to sail through life without that incident being bought up on the field. Just as the Lara Bingle Brendan Fevola incident would had to have been mentioned to Clarkey by the New Zealand wicket keeper on the Aussie’s recent tour over there. Sledging is always going to happen and sportsmen need to toughen up and get on with it. If the sledging gets below the belt every now and again and apologies are made when things have settled down, that should be the end of it, and commentators shouldn’t bother wasting their time on something they can’t fix, and don’t know much about.

      Reply

    • Sick of the crap says:

      11:19am | 12/04/10

      So Malthouse and Milne just brushed away the crappy talk, putting it down to the heat of the moment. Well, it’s a crime to bully. Tell the AFL that.

    • Joffa says:

      08:22pm | 13/04/10

      Sledging is normal - week in, week out. Malthouse was caught saying something shocking and they all got stung. Scapegoats, really, in the bigger picture. I suppose it’s unusual for an experience coach to accuse someone as a rapist.

    • Bulldozer says:

      08:37pm | 13/04/10

      Sick of the crap, bullying happens all the time on the footy field. Crap behaviour i know but it is a competitive world. Get used to it.

    • T.Chong says:

      07:36am | 12/04/10

      So many meedeeyar types were very quick to label Newcastle and Bulldogs players as well , despite no proof, charges etc, (we all know the storys.)
      Has intelligence and fairness now returned ? - that such unproven allegations are seen for the rubbish they are?
      Malthouse was truly appalling. The ‘pies need to bring back Jack Thompson to coach.

      Reply

    • Eric says:

      08:14am | 12/04/10

      “Has intelligence and fairness now returned ? - that such unproven allegations are seen for the rubbish they are?”

      No, TC.

      This is simply a demarcation dispute. The media are the only ones allowed to smear and slander sportsmen.

    • T.Chong says:

      08:46am | 12/04/10

      Agree Ecca - I recall during the Bulldogs and Knights allegations, so called “in depth ” analysis of the legalities was often left to the “sports reporters” , many who were clearly very biased against the falsely accused.
      The ABC was probaly the worst at condemning the players,
      with many of their paid commentators getting carried away with their own sick little fantasies as to what the “real story ” was.

    • mick says:

      11:35am | 12/04/10

      Do you play for the Bulldogs T Chong? You seem quite sure about what happened….. I’d point out the irony in you feeling free to assume what happened, yet attack others for doing the same….. But with you and Eric, that’s a waste of my time.

    • T.Chong says:

      12:24pm | 12/04/10

      So tell us mick, in view of no charges or any type of substantiation offered to back the allegation, you know they were guilty because…,?
      I dont believe any one should be considered guilty, specially in public opinion if allegations are made, but not proven, as was the case.
      These guys had theitr reputations trashed, yet none found guilty of any crime.

    • H of SA says:

      04:38pm | 12/04/10

      While I support that the Bulldogs cannot be considere guilty as they were never found guilty, they also have themselves to blame for their bad image.

      Rocking up to court in T-shirts, thongs and shorts was not a good look for a team trying to establish it had respect for society. They may not be guilty of rape, but a large number of the wounds to their image are self inflicted.

    • damo says:

      08:05am | 12/04/10

      sounds like someones got a case of the ‘in my days..’

      just because there wasnt HD closeups of the players mouthing swear words doesnt mean they weren’t saying these - or even worse - things in the old days.

      Reply

    • James D says:

      08:08am | 12/04/10

      I think its a rather depressing sign of the times that AFL and rape should be put in the same sentence. I think basic morals need to be worked on before their ball skills. Unproven or not it really is not a good look

      Reply

    • julie says:

      08:32am | 12/04/10

      yeah, with all the camers from every angel players cant be expected to check their disappointment for fear of lip readers everywhere. I’m sure they are in the zone of the game and almost forget about being watched that much.  However a Coach could be expected to be more of an example surely, on the field. They are the ones that face the media more than the players. Silly boys dredging up a low blow of something that happen 6 yrs prior. I hope Malthouse gets a big rap/fine for that.  It turns people off.

      Reply

    • Saintly sinners says:

      10:53am | 12/04/10

      Malthouse should get fine. You can see him mouth the words on TV. Jesus, what’s all this coming to?

    • Paul says:

      08:36am | 12/04/10

      2 PC footballers in a mouthing and scratching contest. Or was that the week in politics? Bring back the biff i say. I demand my entertainment for having to sit through all those ads. Catfights don’t cut it.

      Reply

    • Ronald D says:

      08:50am | 12/04/10

      The stench starts from the Collingwood coach - he publicly lied and has not apologised for that.
      Any remaining credibility with that team is shot!

      Reply

    • Jimbo says:

      10:20am | 12/04/10

      The AFL fined James Hird $30,000 for criticising an umpire’s onfield performance.

      Malthouse, if proven to have said what has been alleged, should be fined at least $60,000 in order to fairly maintain misdemeanour relativity.

      Anything less would demonstrate AFL bias.

    • Bill says:

      11:54am | 12/04/10

      Please explain Malthouse. How can the Collingwood community trust you after you backflipped on the version of events. This is sad because the footage reveals your swear words.

    • Dan says:

      08:56am | 12/04/10

      Nice one Julie. By reporting what was allegedly said you have given it a wider audience. I saw the game had no idea what was said but now it is in the public domain.

      Well done.

      Reply

    • wolf says:

      08:58am | 12/04/10

      You’re talking about a game where it is legal to hit someone who is unsighted for merely being near the ball, what do you expect?
      Besides, any of the whiper snappers playing MA rated online shooters already hear worse language.  If this incident shows anything it’s that Mick is hip with the kids.
      I eagerly await someone to top Mick by calling an opponent a “F***ing Paedophile”.

      Reply

    • Darren says:

      09:07am | 12/04/10

      what else does anybody expect from Collingwood?

      Reply

    • Tails says:

      09:54am | 12/04/10

      Malthouse was wrong to say sorry because he never said it. He was never charged with saying it. No one ever came forward in a court of law and testified that he said it. So how can you be so absolutely positive that he said it?
      You can’t have it both ways Mr Milne. You’re a pest.

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      01:59pm | 12/04/10

      Because he admitted it, which is generally viewed as a sign he said it.

    • Tails says:

      02:44pm | 12/04/10

      You missed the point BTS.

    • Julia says:

      10:46am | 12/04/10

      Nick Maxwell should have said ‘What Mick says is Mick’s business. What I say is my business.’

      At the end of the day, sometimes sledging makes the sledger look worse than the target.

      Reply

    • EJ says:

      10:37am | 12/04/10

      After seeing the TV footage last night of three players hurling themselves onto one opposition player & bringing him crashing to the ground I decided that AFL is no longer a game worth watching. Deliberately hurting an opposition player is sickening & in my mind is a major assault. It’s only a matter of time before deaths start occuring because of this win at all costs behaviour. It’s neanderthal mentality & simply doesn’t belong in our modern society. For god sake, it’s a lump of leather you’re chasing guys, not the holy grail. Or maybe it is…..the holy grail of money & admiration from equally neanderthal men & dumb women.

      Reply

    • john says:

      01:03pm | 12/04/10

      It’s called football, it’s a rough game, it always has been nothing has changed.

    • Vicious circle says:

      10:51am | 12/04/10

      It’s a vicious game and it’s competitive. Expletives will fly. But you would expect someone like Malthouse to be in control. Animalism at its best.

      Reply

    • Gentle Giant says:

      10:57am | 12/04/10

      “F…ing rapist” is a very severe phrase. Maybe Malthouse could come up with sometime more gentle.

    • acker says:

      11:27am | 12/04/10

      I would ditch Eddie .....the whole atmosphere and tacky hyperbole Eddie has created at Collingwood is toxic and getting pretty dated. I could tell when Mick said this group of Pies was potentialy the greatest ever modern side better even than Brisbane’s 3peat that the spin was hitting hyperdrive.

      Reply

    • Harquebus says:

      11:43am | 12/04/10

      What else do you expect from sports mad morons.

      Reply

    • luke09 says:

      12:08pm | 12/04/10

      Collingwood supporters have been let down by the feral officials running the club. Last week, Eddie Maguire said he wants to burn down AAMI Stadium and their coach Mick Malthouse verbals an opposiion player with a degrading insult. Collingwood should stop living in the bad old days, the AFL has progressed since then, someone should let Collngwood know.

      Reply

    • Jon G says:

      01:10pm | 12/04/10

      Stephen Milne may not be a convicted rapist, but the situation to which Mick Malthouse was referring to was a particularly bad one. For those who don’t recall, Milne and a teammate took two women home, then decided to swap partners, to which at least one of the women was opposed. What he and his teammate did may not have been prosecuted, but I feel no sympathy for his to be ‘sledged’ in this situation - res ipsa loquitur.

      Reply

    • Lisa says:

      01:07pm | 12/04/10

      Milne and Montagna were not “cleared” of charges as the case did not proceed. I do recall one member of the police publicly stating at the time that the charges being dropped did not infer that they disbelieved the victim, only that there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case.

      Reply

    • Julie Tullberg says:

      01:55pm | 12/04/10

      Hi Lisa, The copy clearly states that Milne and Montagna were cleared of allegations. This was reported at the time of the police investigation’s result.  An allegation is not a charge.

    • Dan says:

      12:28pm | 13/04/10

      There is the presumptio of innocence. Until, or unless, one is convicted with a crime, one is regarded as innocent. Milne and Montana can be regarded as no more guilty of a crime than you.

    • Steven says:

      01:51pm | 12/04/10

      Julie,

      I was around footballers every weekend when I was a kid (70’s) and there was plenty of blue language back then, too.  I played some schoolboys and rec-grade footy in the 80s and 90s and it happened there, too.  Ain’t nothin changed.  Neither should it. 

      Milne knows he gets under everyone’s skin.  As a Carlton supporter, I hate the bloke.  I’ll bet it’s not the first time he’s copped the tag Malthouse gave him and it won’t be the last, either.  But I’ll bet he’s dished out a fair bit as well, all in the spirit of ‘what happens on the field, stays on the field’, which is why he’s accepted Mick’s apology instead of suing him for slander.

      As for Mick lying about it, that was plain dumb and he’ll cop his right wack for that all week.

      You can’t expect people to play a glorious competitive sport like Aussie Rules and be nice touchy-feely SNAG’s on the field.  What you can (and should) expect is for people to behave with reasonable respect but maximum competitiveness, and have the good sense to smooth over any transgressions when the final siren goes.

      Worked well up until now.

      Reply

    • Julie Tullberg says:

      04:43pm | 12/04/10

      Hi Steven, I think it depends what football environment you come from. I was fortunate to be around a club that believed in integrity and family values. It was a clean club and only because of the strict discipline and respect for each other. Not all the clubs are the same. I am sharing my experiences, and an environment is relatively clean and one that brought tremendous success for many years. Further more, the physicality of the game can never be removed. My point is that the aggression shouldn’t get to a level where it creates illegal behaviour. And my other point is that children look up to footballers and when they see filth, they think it’s OK to be filthy. It’s worthy to aspire to a good standard of disciplined behaviour in our world. The AFL want the players to be good role models and so they should. They get paid well for entertaining thousands of people.

    • I who gets it says:

      03:29pm | 12/04/10

      When someone apologises, they do the right thing by accepting responsibility for their own actions. But they end up taking all of the blame (and more) for a wider situation on behalf of other parties who lack the character to do the same. I think Mick did the right thing because when someone shouts and swears at me, I repay them with interest. And if it’s a teammate under fire, there’s bonus interest. And if that bully then plays the victim, I recognise that it’s just the natural next move for people of their low character.

      Reply

    • acker says:

      03:36pm | 12/04/10

      Mick Malthouse tends to coach well early when he is at a club then it tapers off the longer he is there. Footscray, West Coast and now Collingwood he starts with a bang and ends with a wimper.

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      05:37pm | 12/04/10

      Mick’s too old old mate, and this game changes style and tactics every year. He should have retired when the ‘woods’ won their GF.

    • Luke Ball says:

      03:50pm | 12/04/10

      It just showed that we as a club are already starting to crumble, and cannot handle any sort of pressure. I wish I had stayed at Moorabbin, I would be a walk up start to replace Riewoldt…

      Reply

    • Shane says:

      04:24pm | 12/04/10

      Stephen Milne called Mick Malthouse a “f*****g old c**t” and then backed up his charming behaviour by calling Paul Licura “a f*****g homo”. Milne is an appalling example of footballer’s behaviour and deserves everything he gets. He is only cranky because his dopey and unoriginal insults were bettered.
      Most galling for me is that his behaviour has me siding with bloody Collingwood. Unbelievable!

      Reply

    • acker says:

      05:27pm | 12/04/10

      @Shane ....when playing for Richmond Mick Malthouse king hit Sam Newman in Sam’s 300th game. Mick deserves little sympathy

    • Peter says:

      08:24pm | 14/04/10

      @ acker. I didn’t know that. I reckon we should all pass around a collection tin to raise the money to pay for his fine. And like Shane, can’t believe im sticking up for Collingwood stock.. Julie, please spare us the rule book, Mick shouldn’t have to give up $7500 over a few words no one believed anyway. How precious are we becoming? Also, i think its great women are getting interested in football, but it would be nice if they displayed some knowledge of the game rather than just talk about the gossip. A few female journalist should take note of this. If its about gossip they are full of opinions, if its about talent on the field, they have no idea or just repeat what other males tell them..

    • Julie Tullberg says:

      05:51pm | 12/04/10

      OK, here’s the official word from the AFL.

      Mick Malthouse fined $7500, Paul Licuria and Stephen Milne were both sanctioned $3000.


      The AFL today announced its decision to impose sanctions on Collingwood’s Michael Malthouse and Paul Licuria and St Kilda’s Stephen Milne, following an incident at quarter time of Friday’s Round three match played at Etihad Stadium.

      AFL General Manager Football Operation Adrian Anderson said the AFL had conducted an investigation today, interviewing players and officials from both clubs, and said Malthouse, Licuria and Milne had each been found guilty of engaging in aggressive or threatening conduct under AFL Player Rule 29.1.

      Michael Malthouse was sanctioned $7,500 and Paul Licuria and Stephen Milne were both sanctioned $3000.

      Mr Anderson said Michael Malthouse used language towards Milne that was highly offensive and it is unacceptable for a senior coach to insult opposition players during game breaks.

      “This conduct creates a volatile situation on the ground that could easily get out of hand. This is not the right example to set for coaches at community level. Michael recognises his conduct was wrong and his public apology to Milne was taken into account in his favour in determining his sanction.

      “Licuria used threatening language towards Milne in the incident. His conduct had the potential to seriously escalate the situation. He recognises that this was totally inappropriate for someone in his role.

      “Milne was aggressive and insulting to both Malthouse and Licuria. Milne used language towards Licuria that was homophobic and unacceptable.

      Milne’s public apology was also taken into account in his favour in determining sanction.”

      Reply

    • Justin says:

      06:14pm | 12/04/10

      I’m shocked & dismayed that this article & the comments haven’t resulted in a single attempt to proclaim “yeah, but the NRL is worse!”

      Keep up this kind of balance & 4Corners might even feel bold enough to do a hatchet job on the AFL this year. ROFL, nah, that’ll never happen.

      Reply

    • Pointy says:

      06:49pm | 12/04/10

      Point taken.

    • 6c legs says:

      12:16am | 13/04/10

      you silly, Justin, the AFl are doing a great job of hatcheting themselves.
      they don’t need aunty to do it for them!

      watching overpaid neanderthals fight eachother for an old scrap of dead cow, for entertainment?

      couldn’t think of a more boring way to spend a Saturday! (let alone a Friday night or Sunday)

    • Rocket Surgeon says:

      08:44pm | 12/04/10

      If I have to read one more piece of sanctimonious faux outrage over the behaviour of a sportsman I’m going to vomit! Its all a big game, blow another childish slanging match out of proportion so you get readers and viewers riled up and tuning in. I accept this is your job but it doesn’t make it any less sickening.

      Reply

    • Manny says:

      02:33pm | 14/04/10

      I thought Malthouse’s apology was sincere. It was a heat of the moment thing. What can you do? You have just got to move on.

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      07:39pm | 14/04/10

      @ Julia, sledging does not get any worse than what it was in the Australian Cricket team (not sure about the last few years). Ive heard of worse, much worse come out of that team. I don’t know if this is a false rumour, but i heard of a Kiwi player getting taunted about his deceased sister, but if that was true, i didn’t hear about any fines. So you can congratulate the AFL, even though there should not have been any fines…

      Reply

    • whatever says:

      05:06pm | 24/08/10

      You are wrong and Chris Cairns (the Kiwi player) denied it.

 
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