Adelaide has been heavily criticised after offering only a brief statement in response to the booing of Collingwood’s Isaac Quaynor during Thursday night’s loss.
The 24-year-old defender was targeted by sections of the Crows crowd, seemingly because of his assumed involvement in the Izak Rankine homophobic slur case, which saw Rankine suspended for four matches.
The incident sparked outrage across the AFL community, with many believing Adelaide’s one-line response fell well short of condemning behaviour directed at a player who had done nothing wrong.
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Strong backlash from players and commentators
Former AFLW player Kate McCarthy was among the first to speak out, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Booing someone for calling out homophobia is truly something isn’t it.” Her post was quickly shared by Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan, while Collingwood great Tony Shaw said the crowd reaction was “poor but not unexpected”.
Shaw added: “I find booing boring, but Isaac answered it with a professional controlled manner.”
Olympian and ex-Collingwood AFLW player Georgie Parker called the behaviour “embarrassing”, while ABC’s Corbin Middlemas voiced concern for queer Crows supporters. “Imagine you’ve got someone sitting besides you, jeering the guy who received a homophobic slur. That’s his biggest crime … it’s a shocking look for the game,” he told ABC.
The AFL’s official response was similarly restrained. Chief executive Andrew Dillon said: “I’m not a fan of booing at any stage. We’ve got the best crowds in the world … they should go there to have a good time.”
But with Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks dismissing the matter as “not for him to comment on” and Collingwood’s Craig McRae admitting he was “disappointed”, calls for the club to take a firmer stance are growing louder.