DARREN MONCRIEFF
Monday 11 June 2012
FREMANTLE's Michael Walters will attempt to turn a negative into a positive ater declining to pursue a fan who racially abused him last weekend.
Walters, playing for Swan Districts against Perth, was taunted by a Demons fan with racial insults during the game in which the 21-year-old produced his worst effort this season.
Walters (pictured) is on the verge of forcing his way back into the Dockers' line-up with strong performances in the WAFL with Swans.
But he was visibly upset at the taunts last round and he had a season-low eight possessions over four quarters, which is in stark contrast to his kicking 7.5 in his previous two games.
Walters has decided against making a formal complaint to the WAFL, thereby ending the matter on his part. Instead, according to his manager, he wants to turn the negative to a positive.
"Part of the maturity that he wants to show is that he won't let crowd taunts get under his skin," Walters' manager Jason Dover said.
"He can't afford to be distracted by crowds. That's what he's taken out of it.
"The types of things that I believe have been said are out of place for a WAFL ground. They're out of place for anywhere in society.
"It was his worst game for the year as a result of being mentally distracted. He wants to get back to where his form was because he was getting close to a Dockers game."
Perth has said it will ban the supporter who abused Walters.
The Demons' CEO Marty Atkins said his club would act swiftly if they could identify the fan.
"There is no place for this sort of thing in football," Atkins said.
"Michael Walters was clearly agitated by something that was said to him. The problem that we have is that we don't know what was said or who said it but we will take immediate action if we can confirm what happened."
And East Perth's Jarrod Oakley-Nichols has refused to accept an apology from a West Perth opponent accused of making a racist comment to him.
The former Richmond and West Coast AFL rookie Oakley-Nichols was allegedly called a "black c..." by the Falcons player during a tense and dramatic final quarter of the WAFL Perth derby which ended in a draw.
The players met at a formal mediation meeting last week.
But Oakley-Nichols has reportedly deemed the apology not enough given the derogatory nature of the comment. This means the matter will go to the WAFL Tribunal.
It is understood that if found guilty the unnamed West Perth player will recive a mandatory minimum three-match ban under the WAFL's anti-racism code.
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 11/06/2012 17:06