Richmond Tigers Mad Monday: Garfield Hotel defends AFL players over footage amid Sydney Swans investigation

A Victorian country pub has launched a spirited defence of Richmond players caught up in a Mad Monday storm, declaring the controversy has been “blown out of proportion” and accusing waiting media of hoping to catch the Tigers making a mistake.

But the timing of the footage has raised a more uncomfortable question, with what might ordinarily be dismissed as Mad Monday horseplay appearing to make light of a deeply serious situation unfolding elsewhere in the AFL.

Tigers players were filmed at The Garfield Hotel, about 80km east of Melbourne, where the team had booked out the venue for its end-of-season celebrations.

Footage captured by news outlets on Monday showed one player feigning shock after being spanked on the rear by a teammate, while an additional clip showed a player whipping another across the back with a belt.

The footage prompted scrutiny amid suggestions the antics appeared to reference the scandal engulfing Sydney, where a police investigation into allegations of sexual assault is underway.

There is no suggestion of criminal wrongdoing by any Richmond player, and the circumstances surrounding the Tigers footage are markedly different from the serious allegations surrounding the Sydney Swans being investigated by Victoria Police.