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Hardwick laments AFL fans' bad minority

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has backed Alastair Clarkson's call for more positive messages around the AFL in the aftermath of three unsavoury incidents.

Tigers
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has lamented the behaviour of a minority of AFL fans. (AAP)

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is lamenting society's disappointing '20 per cent' after Tigers fans were involved in two ugly incidents.

Hardwick said the AFL community must be better and has backed Alastair Clarkson's call for more positive messages about the game.

Police have charged three men following the brawl at the end of last Thursday night's Richmond-Carlton season opener at the MCG.

On Tuesday, Richmond banned a member for two years after an AFL investigation found the unidentified person had racially abused West Coast forward Liam Ryan with online comments.

The AFL community has rallied around Ryan and there was a similar backlash last week when Carlton AFLW star Tayla Harris was the subject of sexist online trolling.

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"Eighty per cent of the population in most parts of society do the right thing," Hardwick said.

"There's always going to be that element of 20 per cent that disappoint.

"Unfortunately (the brawl) fell into that part and then we have the racial and sexual discrimination type things as well.

"It's incredibly disappointing those three things have happened over the course of a week - we have to be better than that."

In the wake of the abuse directed at Ryan, Clarkson posted a video where the Hawthorn coaching great praised Adelaide's indigenous goalkicking ace Eddie Betts.

The Eagles have also started an online campaign calling for an end to racial abuse.

Harris impressively hit back at her abusers, fronting a media conference and starting an online campaign where she has encouraged fans to emulate her now-famous flying kick.

"It was really brave by Tayla and I think a lot of the AFL community stand behind Ryan as well," Hardwick said.

"It's not something we want to see in our game - our game should be applauded.

"I think Clarko touched it off, we have to be more positive.

"Overall, as a society, we can do that - gratitude, all these sorts of things."


2 min read

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Source: AAP


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