From the Port Macquarie News:

Players alleges racist attack
Clare Hayes
Friday, 15 September 2006

By CLARE HAYES

ALLEGATIONS of racial vilification have overshadowed the Port Macquarie Sharks’ rugby league grand final glory.

While the first grade team celebrates a premiership win, the reserves are dealing with a complaint one of their players racially attacked Coffs Harbour captain Anthony Donovan during their season decider on Sunday.

Donovan lodged a formal complaint with Group 2 this week, claiming the Sharks player called him, among other things, a “black ….”

Group 2 has referred the complaint to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

Donovan told the Port Macquarie News he had been insulted, his Aboriginal culture had been insulted and his family and friends had been insulted by Sunday’s alleged comments.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “I actually played for Port Macquarie and won a few grand finals with them, and it pisses me off that Port if still producing people like that.”

Donovan said it was the first time he had encountered problems of this kind on the rugby league field and the only occasion in the high-pressure grand final that he felt like retaliating against sledging.

While it is the first time Donovan has complained about racism in the game, Group 2 has received three other complaints about the same Port Macquarie Sharks player.

Those complaints were dropped by the Orara, Macleay and Coffs clubs before making it to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Donovan has no intention of dropping this week’s complaint.

When the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission receives the complaint it will assess it against the Race Discrimination Act.

It then acts as a conciliator between the two parties and, if an agreement isn’t met, then the complainant has an option to take their allegations to the Federal Magistrate’s Court.

The Port Macquarie Sharks Rugby League Club and the player in question have declined to comment at this stage.