‘AFL Faces Backlash’: Matthew Lloyd and Jimmy Bartel Critique ‘Bush League’ Governance

The AFL has come under fire, being deemed “embarrassing” and compared to a “bush league” following the controversy surrounding the Zak Butters tribunal, the Lance Collard incident, and the issues with the ARC.

Geelong great Jimmy Bartel has urged the league to “roll up their sleeves” and take heed of the “excellent suggestions” being proposed outside AFL House.

During Monday night’s episode of Nine’s Footy Classified, the AFL’s response to the appeals board’s decision to reduce Collard’s suspension for using a homophobic slur was the subject of scrutiny.

On April 23, the AFL acknowledged the appeals board’s choice to cut Collard’s suspension from nine weeks to four, two of which were suspended, and declared the issue resolved.

However, on April 24, the league issued another statement indicating they had “reflected further” on the decision and “strongly rejected” the appeals board’s rationale.

The AFL’s follow-up statement highlighted the appeals board’s remark that “it is routine for players to use language that may be racist, sexist, or homophobic on the field”.

On April 25, the AFL parted ways with the chair of the appeals board, Will Houghton KC, due to the comments made during the hearing, which were met with shock and dismay across the footy community.

Veteran AFL reporter Damian Barrett mentioned on Footy Classified that he suspected the AFL’s turnaround was influenced by “the absorption of the actual findings of the case”.

Sam McClure, a journalist from Nine and The Age, claimed that the AFL “clearly overlooked the original findings”, although Barrett refrained from making that assertion.

“They were dissatisfied with the outcome of the trial,” Barrett stated.

McClure added his critique.

“You couldn’t possibly make this stuff up,” he remarked.

“It’s the sort of scenario you wouldn’t even find in a bad comedy skit.”

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Bartel shifted the conversation to the Butters tribunal issue.

“What’s the point of having an appeals tribunal if the actual appeal takes place at the tribunal?” Bartel queried.

“We’ve highlighted before that we’re capable of making changes on the go, and there have been numerous valuable suggestions proposed from outside AFL House, yet it appears that, at this moment, nobody is willing to act on those.” Bartel continued, “This is not a criticism of [match review officer] Michael Christian or anyone else.

“There are indeed excellent recommendations to rectify this situation, and I mentioned this last week: it’s not complicated. Roll up your sleeves and get it sorted.”

Speaking on the appeals board’s rationale for reducing Collard’s suspension, Barrett remarked, “It took us back to 1995—the inception of the anti-vilification laws under which we’ve been operating.”

Essendon icon Matthew Lloyd expressed his discontent, stating, “It was embarrassing. The game looked foolish, which is why a statement had to be issued. I would have preferred the commission to intervene. I’m unsure of what they’re doing at times.”

Regarding the ARC saga that overshadowed the St Kilda versus West Coast match on Sunday, Lloyd referred to the ARC staff as “faceless individuals” that the AFL seems keen to “shield”.

“This is a billion-dollar industry,” Lloyd insisted.

“At times, it feels more like a bush league,” McClure added.

“You can’t just have some random person from the AFL overseeing critical areas,” stated Lloyd. “You need to genuinely assess who is in those roles.”

The AFL’s organisational hierarchy is led by chief executive Andrew Dillon, who oversees football executives Greg Swann and Laura Kane.

Since Swann’s appointment in July 2025, reports suggest that the relationship between him and Kane is so fractured that they no longer communicate.

“There are significant issues occurring [at AFL House],” Barrett commented.

“Although they have different responsibilities and aren’t managed by the same person, there’s clearly an accumulation of problems.”