The girl who kicked the AFL

Susie O'Brien agrees. "I admire her chutzpah, because I think powerful men for too long have treated women like objects."(Herald Sun, Mar 8)

Perhaps this is not surprising. Powerful men in particular have long supported each other, and the attitude that women should not seek revenge on men who have abused their trust is long ingrained.

The St Kilda football club saga would make the late Stieg Larsson wonder if he perhaps should have sought advice from the Australian sports world while researching his series of books. The trilogy's first book was published in Sweden under the title "Men Who Hate Women".

Neil Mitchell can claim that "this issue has gripped the public interest because it is salacious and involves sports celebrities." But that is rubbish. We are listening to the teenager because this is a story about abuse of power and trust. Men take note - women will no longer take being treated this way. They will use social media to get their revenge, just as Lisbeth Salander used the secret video of being raped by her guardian to win her freedom.

Women have rightly pointed out that The Girl Who Kicked the AFL is a wake up call for the league.

It appears the league is being forced to listen. AFL Chief Andrew Demetriou wrote in The Age "I am under no illusions that we have some way to go to change the attitudes and behaviour of some men towards women. It would be foolish to think otherwise." (Feb 25)