AFL CHIEF Gillon McLachlan is pledging to try to hunt down racists who are abusing players but concedes finding the culprits is nigh-on impossible.
As the wider AFL community condemns racial vilification of four Indigenous players in a 48-hour span, McLachlan says he's "exasperated" by the ongoing abuse.
The AFL's integrity unit is investigating online racist abuse in recent days of players across three clubs - Adelaide, Fremantle and the Brisbane Lions.
STATEMENTÂ AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan condemns remarks
"It's pretty hard when often these accounts are shut down as quickly as they are opened up," McLachlan said in Adelaide on Wednesday ahead of the start of Gather Round.
"I know the conversation is important, I know that continuing to be relentless about it is important ...and try to work hard to just eliminate this."
Adelaide's Izak Rankine reported being racially abused on social media on Monday. Fremantle's Michael Walters and Nathan Wilson, and Brisbane's Charlie Cameron, reported similar abuse on Tuesday.
"It has got no place in our game, it has got no place in our community, it's frankly just a disgrace, it's abhorrent," McLachlan said.
"It causes so much hurt to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
"Frankly, I think it offends 99.99 per cent of all football followers, all Australians.
MORE THAN A GAME Go beyond the boundary at Adelaide Oval
"We are taking the action we can. We work hard to track them down but we know they disappear.
"And I'm exasperated."
AFL coaches and players on Tuesday also condemned the abusers.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir said Walters and Wilson were in "good spirits" despite being vilified.
"You should never cop what those players have copped for the colour of their skin or race ... it just needs to stop," Longmuir said in Adelaide.
"I'm not across how we can stop it but social media companies need to take some ownership on this sort of stuff as well.
"It's not good enough. Our Indigenous players shouldn't have to open up their phones and read that."
Port Adelaide's Kenya-born defender Aliir Aliir, who in the past has been vilified online, was also uncertain of the solution.
"The fact that this thing still happens, it sucks and I definitely know what they're going through," Aliir told reporters in Adelaide.
"The whole competition, we want to get rid of it ... I try to get my head around it, what ways can we do it?
"If someone cops it, do we stop putting it on social media because some of them might get a kick out of us reposting whatever it is they said?.
"I'm not sure what is the best way for us to get rid of it. The only thing we can do is support our brothers."
Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson said he and teammates were offering support to Rankine.
"We're just putting our arms around him and saying we're there for him," Dawson said.
"Like all the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders, we just want to make sure that we're there for them."
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew said the wider AFL community "have all had a gutful" of the racial abuse.
"Enough's enough," Dew said.
"It's really sad and you just want it to stop ... if they're talking to one of the Indigenous players, they're talking to everyone."
Gath' Around It for your chance to WIN! Simply by being in attendance by quarter time at an AFL Gather Round match day, you have a chance to win two tickets to the 2023 Toyota AFL Grand Final. Further information and Terms & Conditions available here