Such has been the stress caused by his treatment by fans, the Australian of the Year has been granted leave and won’t be playing next weekend.

We share local Indigenous coach Greg Wellington’s dismay and disgust at Goodes’ treatment and we find the excuses for it unfathomable. 

The line of reasoning that says this eloquent and imposing figure has brought the booing on himself by his singling out of a 13-year-old girl who hurled racist abuse at him in 2013 is bunkum. He would have had no idea of the girl’s age in the heat of the moment and he would not have been driven to act the way he did if the abuse had been a one-off and isolated incident. By pointing out the girl and later communicating with her, Goodes did what her parents and peers should have done by pointing out that sort of language was unacceptable and racist.

The other argument, that Goodes is a dirty player, is also without foundation. There are, as Greg Wellington says, plenty of other experienced players who stage for penalties but they are not subject to the same vilification.

Like Wellington, we do not buy the argument dispensed by radio shock jocks like Alan Jones that Goodes needs to modify his behaviour. Rather, we believe the fans who think it acceptable to try to run a great player out of the game need to modify their behaviour.

And we think there is absolutely no credence to suggestions Goodes is somehow being a sook. It’s an easy accusation to make if you haven’t grown up having to endure racist taunts. A lifetime of them is another thing altogether. That’s why Adam Goodes signed up as the face of the Racism Stops With Me campaign. 

We believe the AFL needs to stand up to this in the most effective way possible. Should the booing of Goodes persist on Saturday, August 8, when the Swans clash with Geelong, both teams should draw a line in the sand and stop play. And if it doesn’t stop after that, they should walk off.