Hockeyroo Anna Flanagan exposes disgusting ‘slut’ comment in wake of damning culture report

One of Australia’s greatest Hockeyroos has revealed she was told she “looked like a slut” by a former staff member of the Australian national team.

Anna Flanagan has lifted the lid on the unacceptable comment in the wake of a damning independent report into the “dysfunctional culture” within the elite women’s hockey program.

The 29-year-old, who made 171 appearances for the Hockeyroos, said the incident occurred around 2010 in the early days of her international career.

She had just proudly posted a photo of herself in her green and golf uniform without realising that a small part of her sports bra was showing.

The next day a female staff member made a comment that left her utterly distraught.

“She told me I looked like a slut, because part of my sports bra was showing,” Flanagan told News Corp.

“That was from a member of the coaching staff. That was just one of the many inappropriate comments that were said to me.

“There were so many other things and not just to me. Girls were constantly being told they were going to get kicked in the c …”

Flanagan said she complained about the incident to Hockey Australia, however no action was taken.

She has made the comment public knowledge after hearing former Hockeyroos coach Ric Charlesworth justify his aggressive coaching tactics in an interview with AAP.

The master coach Ric Charlesworth is yet to decide whether to apply for the top job at the Hockeyroos, saying his uncompromising coaching style could end up being misconstrued as bullying.

The Hockeyroos are on the lookout for a new coach after Paul Gaudoin quit on Wednesday.

Hockey Australia chief executive Matt Favier said Charlesworth was one of a number of “wonderful” candidates that would be considered to take over.

Charlesworth is Australia’s most decorated hockey coach, leading the Hockeyroos to Olympic gold in Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000), before enjoying a successful six-year stint as coach of the Kookaburras.

But the 69-year-old said his uncompromising style – which would include telling players straight up if their performance wasn’t good enough – might not sit well with the current Hockeyroos player group.

“I don’t know how you get people to (reach their potential) without challenging them. If that’s bullying, then I’m out of my time,” Charlesworth told AAP.

“I’ll tell them you’ll train four times a week to exhaustion, and you’ll have to discipline yourself in your personal life to be totally focused on getting the best outcome for yourself at the major competitions.

“And sometimes, I’m going to have to give you bad news, and sometimes I’m going to have to say you didn’t do that well enough. Sometimes I’m going to say that you’ve been putting on weight and that affects your performance.

“It seems to me they are all the things that upset this group. Being an elite athlete at that level – wanting to aspire to be an Olympic or World Champion – is uncomfortable, and difficult, and stressful.

“Sometimes things will go wrong and you won’t get selected.

“So you lob in there and that’s the message on the first day – do you want to be in this or not? Maybe that means that I’m from another era. But as I understand it, that’s what I did and I did it pretty well.

“My formula would be as I described it, and it seems to be that’s almost the reason that we’re in this situation.”

Charlesworth also cited his age as a potential barrier.

“I’m in my late 60s. You’re not as agile, or as sharp as you were,” Charlesworth said.

“That’s why (former Manchester United coach) Alex Ferguson stopped coaching, and Mick Malthouse is not coaching now.

‘You do have a shelf life.”

However Flanagan said Charlesworth’s comments were wide of the mark when it came to issues within the Hockeyroos culture.

“It’s got nothing to do with players being disgruntled about being dropped or complaining about being told to get fitter and lose weight,” Flanagan told News Corp.