ST KILDA'S Lance Collard has been found guilty of conduct unbecoming after the AFL Disciplinary Tribunal found sufficient evidence Collard had said a homophobic slur during St Kilda’s VFL match against Frankston on March 27.

The Tribunal, comprised of Chair Jeff Gleeson KC, former player Scott Stevens and barrister Melia Benn, deliberated over two days after an initial hearing on Thursday before deciding to uphold the charge, handing down its decision on Friday evening.

The Tribunal will re-sit at a later date to hear both the AFL and St Kilda's submissions as to the sanction Collard should receive before handing down its penalty to Collard. 

In a statement released following the verdict, St Kilda indicated it is considering appealing the decision.

"St Kilda Football Club is naturally disappointed with the decision handed down by the AFL disciplinary tribunal this afternoon," the statement read.

"The process is ongoing, with further submissions from both parties to be made on any penalty. A date for this next step is yet to be confirmed.

"The club is also reviewing the tribunal’s written findings and will consider its position, including avenues of appeal. We will continue to support Lance throughout this process.

"As the matter remains ongoing, the club will make no further comment at this time."

The AFL acknowledged the Tribunal's decision in its own statement.

"The AFL has no tolerance for the use of homophobic language in our game and its expectations have been made extremely clear to all of our players, including by education that all AFL and VFL players receive," the statement read.

The AFL had requested a 10-match suspension at the outset of the hearing.

The incident occurred during the third quarter of the match amid a melee that resulted from Collard collecting Frankston’s Jackson Voss with a swinging arm. Collard was separately suspended for two matches for the hit.

Collard, who previously served a six-match suspension for saying a homophobic slur in 2024, maintained he had said "maggot" and denied using the alleged slur throughout the hearing.

The decision follows a marathon four-hour hearing in which the Tribunal heard evidence from Collard, alleged victim player Darby Hipwell and his Frankston teammate Bailey Lambert, VFL umpire Sam Morgan, Pride Cup CEO Hayley Conway, and St Kilda’s Indigenous Player Development Manager Katrina Amon. 

The AFL argued that evidence from Hipwell and Lambert should leave the Tribunal comfortably convinced that Collard had used the slur.

St Kilda argued that the two Frankston players had misheard Collard, highlighting Collard’s voluntary signing of a statutory declaration that stated he did not say the alleged slur and noting Collard had admitted to using the slur back in 2024, in contrast to his denial this time. 

Collard and Hipwell previously played together for two seasons at Sandringham during the club’s VFL alignment with St Kilda.