Fans slam the AFL for naming the first women to the league's Hall of Fame - but NOT because of their gender
Footy fans have lashed out at the AFL after Erin Phillips and Daisy Pearce became the first women to be named to the league's Hall of Fame - but their complaints are all about the timing of the honour, not the stars' gender.
Phillips - who won three AFLW premierships and three All-Australian nods in her time with the Crows and Power - provided the highlight of Tuesday night's ceremony with an emotional acceptance speech.
Pearce - who now works for Channel Seven in addition to coaching West Coast's women's side - won an AFLW premiership and became a three-time All Australian with the Melbourne Demons.
Fans voiced their shock at their induction as Pearce only retired from playing in 2022, with Phillips doing the same in 2023.
The AFL's guidelines on the Hall of Fame state that 'players are only eligible after they have been retired from the game for at least five years'.
However, an exception was made for AFLW players in June last year that makes them eligible after just one year in retirement.
Footy supporters couldn't deny Daisy Pearce (pictured) is a giant of the women's game - but had issues with the fact she was inducted after only retiring as a player in 2022
Some fans went online to slam the AFL when Phillips and Pearce's inductions were made official.
'I would never deny her impact on the women's game, but hasn't she been retired for 5 minutes? It took Gary Ablet Sr 8 years to be inducted, Erin less than 2 years? Over 1000 goals vs 50. 250 games vs 50 odd?' one wrote.
'Congrats to her on her induction. But didn't she only retire last year & isn't the criteria 5 years retired?' another added, referring to Phillips.
'Well I expect Dusty to be in next year and made a legend the year after if this is how quick it's going to be inducted,' wrote a third, referring to Richmond great Dustin Martin, who retired last season.
'Someone correct me if I'm wrong but… aint the whole AFLW too early for hall of famers?' another commenter said.
'66 games makes you a first ballot HOF'er? Have a look at the players from the 80s and 90s who have played 300+ games, multiple premierships and other accolades, and they will probably never get a guernsey,' one fan said, referring to Phillips.
'Let the league develop more... it started in 2017 and there's already people getting into a HOF? Relax and bit and pull the hand brake up,' another wrote.
Some reactions to Pearce's honour questioned why she was being inducted given she is still employed in the game as Eagles coach, with comments like, 'Genuine question, is an active head coach allowed to be inducted?'
Other fans questioned whether Pearce and Phillips met the criteria for making the Hall of Fame - which they both did courtesy of a change to the rules in June last year
Phillips (pictured at Tuesday night's Hall of Fame ceremony) is the most honoured player in women's footy history
However, Simon Goodwin was inducted as a player in 2017, when he was coaching the Melbourne Demons, and Sam Mitchell was inducted in 2023 when he had already started coaching Hawthorn.
Phillips' father Greg is a Port Adelaide legend and her words to him during her speech were a high point of the ceremony.
'To Dad, I can't imagine how hard it would have been to tell your 13-year-old daughter that she couldn't play the game she loves anymore,' she said, her voice breaking.
'And 27 years later, she's standing next to you in the Hall of Fame.'
In her speech, Phillips also thanked the 'incredible women' who made the AFLW possible and singled out trailblazer Debbie Lee.
'You kicked down this door so others could walk through,' she said. 'I'm so proud to be by your side and I can't wait to kick down more doors with you Deb.'
Pearce's last AFLW game was the Melbourne 2022 grand final victory and she called it the best day of her life, even though her twin children Sylvie and Roy were in the room, hamming it up for the TV cameras.
'It's controversial to say this, as a mother ... don't get me wrong, they're the best thing that's ever happened to me, but on a technicality, the day itself is not that good,' she said.
'Give me grand final day every day of the week.'
Phillips was Adelaide's inaugural captain and the first women's best and fairest winner, playing in three Crows flags despite needing a knee reconstruction.
She then switched to Port Adelaide when they joined the league in 2022.
When the women's league started in 2017, marquee players such as Pearce and Phillips were crucial for its profile and credibility.
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BBC News
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I actually ran into him three or four weeks ago at a footy game and he didn't voice that opinion then. He actually brought his son over to introduce him to me. 'When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don't deserve one of those privileged positions that we're all in. 'You don't know what people are going through. 'And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn't be. Maybe our last coach didn't.' Green had coached the Maroons in the 2021 Origin Series before Slater had taken over in 2022. The former North Queensland coach had been living with a 'severe' case of CTE. His widow, Amanda, also lauded Slater on his courage to apologise. 'To begin with, I would like to say how very courageous it was of Billy to call me, completely unprompted, yesterday,' Green said in a statement to The Courier Mail. 'My heart breaks for Billy Slater as a partner of someone who has been in his position. 'I completely understand the pressures of the role. 'It shows a lot about his true character and what a fine role model he is for young men. I commend and admire him for that. 'This statement is not about rehashing the events of yesterday. 'However, in saying that, yesterday's commentary did highlight to me just how far we still must go in raising awareness and understanding around CTE. Green's wife Amanda, (pictured left and right) also lauded Slater for his courage in immediately reaching out to her to apologise after making the comment 'Paul was diagnosed with Stage Three CTE. Severe CTE. He was living with a very advanced brain disease. 'CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. CTE is caused in part by repeated traumatic brain injuries. 'I now have a responsibility to use my voice to help others, to help those who have lost loved ones, those who are currently struggling themselves or those who are supporting a loved one going through this horrendous disease.' 'Aaron Woods crossed the line,' he said on ABC Sport's Offsiders podcast. 'If he were to come out and make a point about Billy Slater's tactics, about Billy Slater's selection - that's fine. But to purposefully call someone a "grub", to purposefully degrade someone like that, someone that he knows, someone that he made sure his son got to meet and have a photo with. 'But for him to say that just to provide extra spice ahead of Origin - that's rubbish.' 'Media around Origin time is absolutely horrific. Both states are guilty of it. Both states just throw things on the back of their headlines 'cos they need to create this artificial spice. "The build-up to Origin I was boring", it wasn't boring! There is enough to talk about in these games without having to throw ridiculous comments around. 'Media around origin needs to be better. People who get to talk about origin and put their voices into people's lounge rooms or in the car over the radio - you have a responsibility and a privilege of being up there so you really need to watch what you're saying because it does have an effect.' 'Bill [Slater] wrongly made the point about linking it to Paul Green. But the point he was trying to make was perfect. Speaking on Woods, he added: 'Just throwing out those comments, you don't know what people have got going on in their lives - you don't know the effect that that can have. In the end, all you're doing is allowing other people to say those comments in the name of "banter". But where do you draw the line? Is calling someone a grub where you would draw the line? 'Is calling someone worse, is it making sexist, racist comments to people allowed because it's in the name of "banter"? 'Just throwing those ridiculous comments out just gives more people avenues to say what they want to who they want without any repercussions. 'Aaron Woods was a coward for standing behind a microphone and throwing that out there. 'Billy Slater showed courage going out there on a microphone and talking about responsibility. 'He made a mistake and apologised to the Green family but he fronted up in front of the camera, in front of the microphone, every single time.'
