Geelong are set to ditch their traditional Mad Monday celebrations after copping widespread criticism for some controversial costumes and questionable social media antics.
Star midfielder Bailey Smith made a series of Instagram posts from the Cats' Mad Monday function, following Geelong's 47-point Grand Final loss to Brisbane on Saturday.
Smith was dressed as Legends of the Fall character Tristan Ludlow, played by Brad Pitt, while skipper Patrick Dangerfield's own cowboy costume was a nod to the TV show Yellowstone.
Smith later posted a photo of himself and Dangerfield. In the caption, Smith referenced the movie Brokeback Mountain, which depicts a complex romantic relationship between two cowboys, and wrote "this is what losing a granny does to ya".
Former West Coast defender Mitch Brown, the first AFL player to publicly reveal he is bisexual, was unimpressed.
"In all seriousness though, guys do better," Brown wrote on Instagram.
"Last time I checked, losing a grand final doesn't make you gay, but being homophobic definitely makes you a loser."
Smith also posted a photo of teammate Max Holmes, who had dressed as veteran journalist Caroline Wilson, and in the caption suggested she had "never looked better".
The AFL opted to let Geelong's hierarchy deal with the situation in-house, but the league made it clear it wasn't happy with what unfolded on Mad Monday.
"We're not thrilled, obviously, with what happened -- and nor are Geelong," AFL football performance boss Greg Swann said.
"They're actually dealing with it. We think the clubs are the best people to deal with it, their players."
Geelong spent Wednesday scrambling to locate players, before finally sending out a media release in the evening addressing the issue.
"Geelong Football Club sincerely apologises for the offence caused following our end of season gathering on Monday," the three-paragraph statement said.
"Certain costumes and associated social media posts were inappropriate and a significant error of judgement, and do not reflect our Team of All commitment.
"The club has decided future post season events will not continue in this current form, and we will take this moment to further educate our people on expectations and club and community standards."
Geelong's Mad Monday celebrations have become a renowned event in recent years, but future post-season get-togethers are set to be different after they overstepped the mark this year.
Last year the AFL handed down suspensions and fines to GWS players involved in an end-of-season function that involved sexist skits and inappropriate costumes.
Swann indicated leaving clubs to deal with player behaviour was the AFL's preference going forward.
"You might see that change. As I said, I think these are club issues," he said.
"I'm not sure why the AFL (would step in). We will step in if we have to, but let the clubs deal with it."