A prominent country football figure has been banned from the game after being slapped with an 18-week suspension following a match in regional New South Wales.

Henty Football Club playing assistant coach Grady Nigsch was found guilty of eight separate offences—including physical conduct, rough conduct, and abusive language—stemming from a Hume Football Netball League clash against the Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock Saints on July 4.

Automatic Deregistration Triggered

Under AFL national community football rules, any suspension exceeding 16 weeks triggers automatic deregistration across all AFL-managed competitions. This effectively serves as a "life ban," meaning Nigsch is barred from playing or holding official match-day roles, though deregistered individuals can apply for reinstatement after a 12-month period.

The incident was not cited by field umpires during the game. Instead, the severe penalties followed a formal post-match complaint lodged by the Saints. An AFL NSW-ACT spokesperson confirmed that the investigation also led officials to advise the complainant to contact law enforcement.

"During the investigation, the AFL became aware of serious misconduct claims, and advised the complainant to refer these allegations to NSW Police," the spokesperson said. NSW Police subsequently reviewed the matter but determined it did not warrant police action.

Saints President Speaks Out

Speaking on a local sports podcast, Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock Saints president Tim Doherty revealed that the victim of the behaviour was a young player who was subjected to "two hours of horrible behaviour" during the game.

Doherty expressed regret that similar patterns of behaviour from the veteran player had not been challenged earlier by others in the league. "I've had a lot of Hume League clubs, people in leadership positions or players... reach out over the last 10 days to say that they've had run-ins with this fella," Doherty said. "It's also left me really saddened that this wasn't called out earlier because they've done a disservice to all our footballers in the league and also the offender."

Club Distances Itself from Actions

Nigsch, a veteran of more than 200 country football matches, had only joined Henty at the start of the 2025 season, establishing himself as one of their key on-field contributors.

In a statement, the Henty Football Netball Club strongly condemned the actions, apologizing to the victims and the wider football community. "We recognise the gravity of the incidents that occurred and extend our sincere apologies to everyone impacted by this," the club stated. "The actions of one individual does not represent the values, culture or expectations of our club."