Richmond’s Kamdyn McIntosh reveals fan abuse escalating at games and onlineAaron Kirby
The West Australian
Mon, 19 May 2025 West Australian Tiger Kamdyn McIntosh has revealed fan behaviour towards AFL players is “100 per cent” getting worse, calling on fans to think before they act.
Player interactions with fans in the crowd have been under the spotlight in 2025, with the AFL fining multiple players for responding to vulgarity with vulgarity.
The scrutiny has been particularly intense in the west with young Eagles prodigy Harley Reid constantly engaged by supporters during games and receiving a $1000 clip for flipping the bird at a Brisbane fan in round two.
But Port Adelaide dynamo Willie Rioli’s threats saga, that saw him miss the Adelaide showdown over a string of inappropriate messages to rivals, again exposed the rampant racism that persistently hangs over Indigenous stars.
While social media and online abuse has dogged the league for decades, McIntosh says even face-to-face abuse is escalating.
“It’s 100 per cent getting worse out there through social media and copping it on the sidelines,” he told The West Australian ahead of his 200th match on Sunday.
“There’s just no repercussions for people. To be honest, everyone can get away with whatever they want to say out there.
“Even on social media, who’s tracking it? At the end of the day, there’s nothing stopping people from creating fake accounts just to s**** comment online. There’s just people out there who have nothing else to do with their time.”
The two-time premiership star added he sympathises with the AFL over how much they can do to protect players, especially online.
However, McIntosh said he felt the league needed to be more understanding of players and the pressure they are under when it comes to punishing their reactions to abuse.
“It’s hard to say (they need to do more to protect players) to the AFL when the AFL doesn’t control social media,” he said.
“I don’t know the answer to that. How does the AFL stop people? It’s a bit out of their control.
“But I guess at games on the boundary line (I’d like to see more done), but again I’m not sure how you’d go about it without putting more money into it, because that means you’ve got to put more resources there.
“I think, though, from my point of view, it’s the punishment that gets dealt to AFL players. Let’s say a first-year player is given a $2500 fine; that’s a pretty extreme fine.”
As for the fans, the West Australian said he hoped they could remember players were no less human than they are and were all trying their best to perform for their sides.
“I just want (fans) to understand that we love playing the game out there, and we honestly don’t want to do anything but play AFL footy. If we are out there, we are giving 100 per cent,” he said.
“There’s moments in a game where a player might miss a tackle or things like that, but the reality is you can’t be at 100 per cent effort 100 per cent of the time because it’s too hard the game.
“But just understanding we’re out there trying to be the best version of ourselves and no one should get knocked for that.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/richmond-tigers/richmonds-kamdyn-mcintosh-reveals-fan-abuse-escalating-at-games-and-online-c-18705165
