AFL women left hurt and disappointed by GWS dress scandal

Women who work within the AFL community and are fans of the game are hurt and angry by the fallout from the GWS post-season feature saga, while many have come under fire online after speaking out against the behaviour.

More than a dozen current and former GWS players were sanctioned by the AFL on Thursday for their behavior at the Giants’ post-season function, which AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon described as “completely unacceptable”.

Football commentator and former AFLW All Australian Kate McCarthy said there appeared to be a lack of public understanding of the overriding issue at the heart of the incident.

“I’m noticing online that people don’t really understand what the problem is, which is the most disappointing part,” McCarthy said.

“The fact that making jokes about sexual assault is part of rape culture, and basically harmless jokes aren’t actually harmless when it comes to this kind of subject matter.

“That’s the real sticking point here, is it just ‘oh boys being boys’ or is it ‘get over it, it’s a joke’, well actually those jokes are what can hurt us in the end.

“Because it creates a culture where these things are accepted, which then, as we’ve seen in research, leads to gender-based violence.”

Josh Fahey received the harshest punishment with a four-game ban after dressing up as former NRL player Jarryd Hayne and faking inappropriate sex with a blow-up doll. Jake Riccardi was dressed as a taxi driver.

Hayne was convicted of sexual assault offenses and sentenced to prison in 2023 before the conviction was overturned on appeal and the charges were formally dropped.

GWS AFLW captain Rebecca Beeson said it was important for the women’s group to make it known they were “deeply hurt and angry” when they learned of the behavior at the men’s post-season event.

“Playing the game we love gives us a platform to talk to the community, fans and young people,” Beeson told ABC Sport.

“As the playing group of the AFLW, we feel it is of the utmost importance to stress that behavior that included references to gender-based violence is completely unacceptable under any circumstances.”

Other players Toby McMullin and Cooper Hamilton simulated the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, while Connor Idun and Lachie Whitfield acted out a scene from the movie Django Unchained, which features slavery.

McCarthy said she was disappointed that the only high-profile people criticizing the incident were women.

“That’s the most disappointing thing. We have so many journalists or football personalities who are very happy to talk and be very, very vocal about issues in the game that are on or off the field, but none of them have done one. kind of buzz around it,” McCarthy said.

However, McCarthy said it was good to see the AFL being proactive and handing out punishments.

The three-club player has received negative comments online after speaking out, as has AFL presenter and podcaster Nat Edwards.

Emma Race, who co-created the sports broadcasting program Outer Sanctum Podcast and Making the Call, said the link between jokes and gender-based violence had been misunderstood in the community.

“For people like us who work in the game, the shock is when our male colleagues aren’t making that connection, and when players who have had all the schooling, the AFL, their clubs and they even circled in memory of the women and they’re still not making that connection,” she said.

“The attitudes of colleagues in the media and former players carry a lot of weight with trolls and lead to an online conversation where the response is to be aggressive and blame people who find such behavior confronting, rather leaving responsibility to feet of the people who have. Behavior is the center of the incident.”

This year, AFL players, coaches and referees stood arm-in-arm in a circle on the ground before games and observed a moment of silence in honor of victims of violence against women.

A woman has been violently murdered on average every four days in Australia this year.

This year, Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly held an education session with GWS, including the men’s games group, about equality and respect.

“We don’t have the details of what is alleged to have happened, but any kind of behaviour, including jokes that are sexist or about sexual violence, are not harmless,” he said.

“They normalize harmful attitudes towards women, minimize violence and reinforce harmful stereotypes. They contribute to a culture where violence against women is accepted and thrives.

“We are in the midst of a national crisis of violence against women, and sporting codes, particularly male sports stars, have a vital role to play in standing alongside the women in their lives – leading and modeling respectful behavior and advocate for change among their fans and the entire community.

“Their voices and behaviors are powerful to help deliver real-world change to reduce and end violence against women.”