In minutes of silence held across the country over the weekend, opposition AFL clubs stood arm in arm to take a united stance on violence against women.
The initiative, spearheaded by Eagles chief executive Don Pyke, was spurred on by the horrific reality that 28 women have been violently killed in the first four months of 2024, most allegedly by men known to them.
Those figures are almost double the already unforgivable count this time last year.
The gesture was an important one from a sport that has significant sway over the Australian Zeitgeist.
As Essendon coach Brad Scott put it: “AFL footy is really popular; a lot of people follow it … and wherever we can lead on the issue and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ we should.”
Scott revealed the club had a personal connection to the issue, with Nick Hind the cousin of 23-year-old Clunes woman Hannah McGuire, who was found dead on April 5, and whose ex-boyfriend has been charged with her murder.
As resolute as the Essendon coach’s take on the issue was, his response to a follow-up question on sacked North Melbourne player Tarryn Thomas was indicative of how far attitudes have to go.
In February this year, Thomas was banned for 18 weeks after the AFL found that he had repeatedly threatened a woman.
Scott said that in Thomas’s case, his view was “one of support”.
“I’ve known [Thomas] since he was 14, and my view is he’s a good person,” he said.
“Has he made some mistakes? Yes, he has, and he’s the first person to admit that.”
AFL needs to stop using the ‘good bloke’ excuse
The problem with Scott’s comments is that the “good bloke” trope is trotted out frequently to excuse the appalling behaviour of men who commit violence.
There are countless examples of this in media coverage of women’s murders, including when Rowan Baxter set his wife, Hannah Clarke, and their three children alight in a quadruple murder-suicide in Queensland four years ago.
Initial reports of the event focused on Baxter’s rugby league career, framing him as a “good bloke” who, as Bettina Arndt suggested at the time, “might have been driven too far”.
These are contraventions of best-practice reporting on violence against women, and further damaging myths that compromise women’s safety.
None of this is to suggest that Scott endorses these narratives, nor that he is the problem. But for too long, the AFL men’s competition — and the ecosystem that surrounds it, including the media — have endorsed these “redemptive” narratives when it comes to “good blokes” involved in the game.
Perhaps the most obvious is Wayne Carey, who in 2007 glassed his then-girlfriend in the face and neck with a wine glass, before kicking a female police officer in the mouth and elbowing another in the side of the face.
Despite pleading guilty to two charges of battery of a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting arrest with violence, before being released on two years’ probation without conviction, he was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2010.
Just this week he was due to be elevated to “legend status” in the NSW Australian Hall of Fame, before the AFL reportedly stepped in to block the move.
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said in a statement that the league “didn’t think it was the right decision”.
He added that he had called Carey to inform him that “being made a Legend would take away from the event and the important focus on the national response to the issue of gender-based violence against women”.
This in itself is a sign that the AFL is trying to correct its course, but for many, it is too little too late.
AFL uniquely positioned to influence young men’s attitudes
Extensive research shows the root cause of violence against women is gender inequality.
Our Watch’s framework for the prevention of violence against women further breaks this down into four key “drivers”, which include condoning of violence against women, and cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control.
This is where the AFL is uniquely positioned to influence attitudes to gender equality.
The most recent national survey of Australians’ attitudes towards violence against women revealed that young women were significantly more likely than young men to understand and reject violence against women, and reject gender inequality.
Research also shows that Millennial and Gen Z men in Australia hold more conservative politics than young women.
Young people look to AFL players, coaches and commentators as role models, and they can play a critical role in dismantling toxic cultures of masculinity.
As Melbourne forward Ben Brown put it in a post on his Instagram account: “Sport is interwoven into our lives … [and] it’s one of the drivers and symbols of culture in Australia.
“But words, unfortunately, are not enough.
“Those in positions of power need to hear the fear, frustration and rage of women and act, [and] those with platforms need to use them.
“Women are suffering at the hands of men in this country, and that … is the result of a culture of disrespect and male privilege.”
Brown is one of a few current AFL players — alongside Zach Merrett and Jarman Impey — who have been outspoken on the issue, and he is leading the way for his counterparts.
For the AFL to change the landscape on violence against women, it must find ways to encourage and platform voices like his, as well as develop a culture of accountability.
That means real consequences for the likes of Thomas and Carey, and an end to the “good bloke” excuse.
That’s the first step in turning the symbolism of the weekend into genuine cultural change.
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