Collingwood AFLW star Georgie Parker has called for change in the wake of the online uproar surrounding an incredible photo of Carlton player Tayla Harris.
The photo shows Harris in mid-follow through after kicking the Sherrin during Carlton's pulsating showdown with the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.
Taken by AFL photographer Michael Willson, the image was posted to Twitter by the AFLW account and was reshared on Tuesday by 7AFL.
By Tuesday evening, 7AFL decided to delete the image after receiving what it described as an "inappropriate" reaction on social media.
MORE: Tayla Harris responds to the haters | Tayla Harris photo spaks social media outrage
After swift condemnation of the decision to delete, 7AFL reposted the image on Wednesday morning.
Parker, who signed with Collingwood last season after a successful 108 game career for the Hockeyroos, said the reaction the photo has received highlights the need for change in society.
"Things I don’t understand: 1) People who stand too close to the baggage carousel at airports," Parker wrote on Facebook in a post re-sharing the photo of Harris.
"2) People who smoke in cars.
"3) People who have an issue with women playing sport, and have the consistent need to degrade us with derogatory comments to fuel their insecurities.
"We must change individually. We must call our friends out. We must, as a society, not accept these toxic comments anymore.
"Men, just because we can now play, doesn’t mean it’s over for you.
"It’s ok to share! Man does not own the game of Australian rules football; it is the country’s game.
"We have a right to play it, love it and feel included in our magnificent sport, just as the men have for so long."
Harris initially commented via social media, calling the trolls making the shocking comments "animals."
Here’s a pic of me at work... think about this before your derogatory comments, animals. pic.twitter.com/68aBVVbTTj
— Tayla Harris (@taylaharriss) March 19, 2019
On Wednesday morning, the 21-year-old Harris told RSN she saw all the comments before 7AFL's post was deleted.
"I'm feeling empowered this morning because of the reaction that has come, so it has been a bit of a whirlwind," she said.
"I've seen all of it, I've seen the comments... I hope a lot of people don't know what we are talking about and they won't because [the comments] have been deleted since. That created what has come now.
"The reason a lot of people have created a bit of an uproar is because 7AFL deleted the post, rather than perhaps deleting the comments or perhaps blocking the commenters.
"Since that, a lot of people got onboard including Patrick Dangerfield and other high profile people [who] posted the photo and said, 'let's share this rather than deleting it and letting them win essentially'.
"I kind of saw that and felt a bit warm inside, it felt great. Obviously the AFL community got around me and that was awesome, but it isn't about me now. It's about a way bigger picture."