Former dual-sport star Georgie Parker has expressed her disappointment over the lack of support towards women in the AFL in the fallout of the GWS Giants post-season celebration saga.
14 players were whacked with sanctions by the AFL over the ill-fated Wacky Wednesday event, with a mix of fines and suspensions given.
Players from the GWS women’s team spoke out against their male counterparts, with the men’s squad reportedly having undergone a workshop regarding violence against women earlier in the year.
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In round eight, players and coaches from all AFL teams joined forces pre-game to pay a silent tribute to women who had lost their lives as a result of gendered violence.
Players were seen uniting arm in arm as the message against gendered violence was conveyed but Parker believes the concept was evidently not understood or taken on board by some.
“In this situation, every single team and coaches stood arm in arm against this endemic against violence against women that is still going on,” the former Collingwood utility said on Nine’s AFLW Weekly.
“The fact there’s been no real noise from anyone and the only person who has flown this flag is Jimmy Bartel because of the experiences of his mother… I feel as though there is no one who has said loudly, ‘I’m standing with these women and helping them protect themselves’.
“You standing around in a circle for a minute, did that mean anything to you?
“Obviously, it hasn’t because at the end of the season, four months later, you’re joking about sexual abuse and rape.
“The players joking about this situation – foul. They are getting sanctioned but the silence amongst men, not just in the AFL but in the media adjacent to the league … the women in this space (have been) very loud.
“We’ve been very vocal about this because we’ve all experienced it – ‘Hey this isn’t acceptable. These are our experiences in this work place, in life’.
Giants and Bombers players paid tribute to women killed by gendered violence. via Getty Images
“From being young women until forever, it never stops.”
The actions of the players came to light following a complaint allegedly placed by a bartender present at the Giants function.
AFLW reporter and AFLW Weekly host Sarah Burt noted the actions of the bartender were not relevant to the overarching issue with the club’s function but still remained a stronger talking point for many.
“That was the biggest uproar for so many people and the thing is … as an AFL player you are put on a pedestal and that comes with a sense of responsibility whether you like it or not,” Parker said as Burt held back tears.
“While this is all happening we want someone to be standing with us so we don’t feel very alone. That’s what we were trying to get out here, we feel very alone, we feel like all of this is a front and a facade.”
“When I walked in here, I genuinely feel emotional about it,” Burt added.
“We both have male partners, friends, our producers are male – I look at them and they acknowledge how women feel about what is going on. They know it’s scary and they are open to having discussions about it.
“It’s not their fault but they will never actually understand how it feels. And I don’t want them to because it is horrific.
“[Before recording] we all just said, ‘I am tired’. I have felt like shit this week thinking about it because I have felt so helpless. When does it end?
“People say no inequality in gender is not an issue anymore but look what is going on.
“Look at these people who are put on a pedestal in the world, in our industry, and everyone worships them.”
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).