AFLW star Moana Hope says Mick Malthouse is “outdated” and his anti-women’s football stance was like something from “the 1800s”.

Hope was standing by comments she made against the former AFL coach, after a much publicised walkout at a football club function on Thursday.

Hope stormed out of the room after Malthouse said AFL was a ‘mans’ game.

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The ex AFLW Pie, now set to play for North Melbourne, said Malthouse’s comments were “anti-women’s football” while greeting fans at Grand Final eve celebrations held at the

MCG.

“His comments were definitely outdated,” Hope said.

“It was not something I was going to sit and listen to. Mick was a great coach, but his comments weren’t necessary.

Despite critisicm for walking out of the function Hope said she felt she need to make a stance.

“I’m not the type of person for confrontation ... it just wasn’t somewhere I wanted to be,” she said.

Hope said Malthouse’s comments were from the “1800’s”.

“Women’s football is only moving up. I want the game to move up.”

“Actions speak louder than words. I’ll just be one of many girls that prove him and many others wrong.”

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media_camera Hope says she will never be in the same room as Malthouse again. Picture: Getty media_camera Malthouse’s comments enraged Hope. Picture: Ian Currie

Brownlow medallist Jason Akermanis believes inexperience was behind Hope’s furious response to Mick Malthouse’s comments on women’s footy.

Hope said she would never be in the same room as Malthouse again after he said AFL was a “man’s game” and women should not play under the same rules because of a high rate of injuries.

But Malthouse has hit back, labelling the AFLW star “unprofessional” for walking out on a football club speaking function.

The trio was on a panel in Ballarat for a lunch at Mars Stadium.

“I thought her reaction was one of someone’s who quite inexperienced. To have people on stage that’ll give you a different opinion that you’re probably not going to like,” Akermanis said on 3AW.

“We’ve all done it, we’ve all been there. I’ve worked with Mick now, obviously didn’t play under him but he’s a great guy to talk footy, great human being there’s no problem at all.

“So to sort of attack Mick on a personal level and say he’s not a nice person is probably a bit strong.

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“I think Mo had probably not been in this kind of situation before, and I think in 5-7 years when she’s been through the circuit more she’ll be a bit more relaxed and see it a bit differently.

Akermanis, no stranger to making headlines himself, said he was just relieved not to be at the centre of the controversy.

“It was fantastic reading an article when I’m not in trouble,” he said.

Hope, a former Collingwood and now North Melbourne AFLW player, told the Herald Sun she was “disgusted” with Malthouse’s comments.

“He said that AFL was a man’s game and not a woman’s game and he’s said that on stage in front of 50 kids who had just played a boys and girls game of football,” she told the Herald Sun.

Malthouse added that women should play a modified game without tackling to reduce the amount of knee injuries.

But she said that she dropped her microphone and walked out after Malthouse said that if the AFL went to an 18m goal square all the players should “wear skirts.”

“I left after that I was so disgusted and drove back to Melbourne. He can have an opinion but then there’s just degrading and disrespectful comments,” she said.



Good on @NMFCOfficial player Mo Hope. Is it really that hard to understand a woman getting upset at another pale stale male telling them what their bodies can and can’t do and how they should play their game. How about we leave it to women to choose? @aflwomens — Brian walsh (@Brianwalsh2222) September 28, 2018

But Malthouse said he was making a point about the rules of women’s football, not being sexist.

“Mo Hope was unprofessional, totally unprofessional,” Malthouse told the Herald Sun.

“Why would someone walk out? Half the time she was looking at her watch and the other half she was looking at her phone.

“I make no apologies for having an opinion about women’s football. If Mo Hope hadn’t been looking at her phone or watch she might have listened to what I said in context instead of interpreting something she half heard.”

He said he had been receiving text messages of support from people in the crowd.

“God help us if we stop having an opinion; there’s a difference between my opinion on women’s football and the rule changes,” he said.

Former footy star Jason Akermanis — who was sitting between Hope and Malthouse — weighed in on the dispute. He said Malthouse’s comments “should be taken with a grain of salt”.

Akermanis said he tried to keep everyone calm and lighten the mood after tensions flared and Hope walked out.

media_camera Hope in action for the Magpies. Picture: AAP

media_camera Jason Akermanis says Mick Malthouse’s comments were simply “another point of view”. Picture: Stuart Milligan

The Brownlow medallist said and he tried to remain neutral.

“Obviously Mo has a credible understanding of the women’s game … as a marquee player,” he told the Herald Sun.

But Akermanis said he believed Hope was likely “a little raw” and not used to being confronted with different opinions.

“I think Mo is perhaps not used to dealing with other people’s points of view,” he said.

Akermanis said Malthouse’s point of view was a fair assessment but that he didn’t necessarily “agree with everything he was saying”.

North Melbourne director Brian Walsh tweeted his support for Hope, referring to Malthouse as a ‘pale stale male’.

A witness in the room said that people were “shocked” Hope walked out.

“It looked like she didn’t want to be there, she didn’t smile once and was defensive right from the start and was checking her watch,” the witness said.

“He didn’t belittle her in any way. He was having a go at the way the AFL ran the AFLW and said that he was worried about the injuries of female footballers.”

Hope said of Malthouse’s comments: “We’re in 2018, not in 1942. I’ve been told he was an amazing coach but I don’t think he’s much as a person.

“I will never be in the same room as him again.

“I woke up at 5am this morning and rode 20km in preparation for next season. I’m working my backside off for AFLW.”

media_camera Mo Hope's partner Isabella Carlstrom posted this picture of Malthouse on social media.

The witness in the room had said that Malthouse did not mean to cause offence.

They said Hope had taken offence to his comments criticising the AFL’s plans for zones of six players next year.

“He said there’s already a game that looks like that and they wear skirts and it’s called netball,” the source said.

And he said that he was concerned about the high rate of injuries in women’s football, and argued that it needed to be modified to protect the players, the source added.

Hope’s partner Isabella Carlstrom posted a picture of Malthouse on social media with the caption: “How can this man be paid to attend a function and put women down so badly that @moanahope puts the mic down and walks out of a room full of people. Degrading women of the AFLW #disgusting,” she wrote.

“I cannot believe what this disgrace of a man said while on stage in front of so many young kids and my partner.”

stephen.drill@news.com.au