Susan Alberti wasn’t the only one to be denied entry to the Western Bulldogs AFLW match on Friday night, as club captain Easton Wood also found himself on the outer.
According to SEN newsman Sam Edmund, Wood faced a similar fate to Alberti when he strolled up to the main entrance at Whitten Oval, before being told he couldn’t get in because he didn’t have the correct pass.
“Even Easton Wood was refused entry, the captain of the football club,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“He either forgot (his accreditation) or didn’t think he needed it. The security guard has been accused of being rude and unwilling to see reason with Susan Alberti.
“He told him (Wood), mate, you’re not on the list, so you’re not coming in.
“I assume he (Wood) made other arrangements, went around to another gate and accessed the ground another way.”
The host of SEN’s The Sporting Capital, Jack Heverin, had a first-hand account of the incident that saw Alberti denied, believing it was a poor look for the Bulldogs.
“The security guard, it would be fair to say, thought he was bouncing at Club 23,” he told SEN’s Sunday Brunch.
“What I saw was pretty ordinary, in fact it went beyond pretty ordinary, it was embarrassing. It was really, really poor.”
It puts a sour note on a night the Dogs set an AFLW record, as they defeated Carlton by 73-points, with Brooke Lochland kicking seven goals.
The gate controversy has seen a spat between Alberti and Bulldogs President Peter Gordon become public, with some reports stating the dispute between the two dates back until 2016.
Alberti told the Herald Sun she was left “sad and humiliated” after being denied access.
She has been a stalwart of the club, pouring numerous of dollars into the team when they were struggling, along with being one of the pioneers of the AFLW competition.
“I can’t believe it’s happened at my home of 66 years, that place is a part of my life,” Alberti said.
“I will continue to love and support the Western Bulldogs.”
Gordon responded to Alberti’s comments, defending the decision to stop her from entering, saying he has reached out to her to mend the relationship.
“Because of our relationship and her history, I had reached out to her to meet to discuss these matters privately over a coffee,” he said.
“Sue was unavailable to meet until after this weekend.
“When I became aware of last night’s incidents, I reached out to her again to meet to discuss the position. I stand by the policies and actions of our staff and management.
“No one was excluded from the Whitten Oval.
“It is still my hope and judgment that the matter is best resolved by a frank discussion between me and Sue, and the club will make no further comment until after that meeting has taken place.”
Alberti was eventually let into the ground after the situation was sorted.
Listen to Jack Heverin and Adam Cooney discuss the incident in the player below.