AFLW star Tayla Harris has divided the footy world with a selfie posing with tennis grand slam queen Serena Williams at the Olympic Games.
Many questioned whether Harris should be living it it up in Paris at all, given the AFLW season gets underway in three weeks.
The All Australian and Melbourne Demons forward is also battling to recover from a shoulder injury.
But the 27-year-old, who is in France to attend a Nike conference, will find the trip is ‘a perfect learning experience’ that will ‘bring valuable insights’ to the footy season, according to her club.
Harris snapped the selfie with the retired US tennis superstar at a global Nike promotion event.
Former Port Adelaide legend Kane Cornes led the barrage of backlash.
‘Taking it seriously then,’ he captioned Harris’ selfie.
The brutal swipe sparked a divided response from footy fans.
Demons forward Tayla Harris has shocked footy fans with a selfie (pictured) of her with tennis legend Serena Williams while at the Olympic Games in Paris
‘Jet setting unprofessionalism like this is the reason why they’re (AFLW stars) are not taken seriously, not fulltime & aren’t paid the big $$$$,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘It’s not a great look for her or the dees..not a chance in hell one of the Brisbane or Adelaide girls head off to Paris a few weeks before the season starts.’
A third wrote: ‘Well she sucks at footy so may as well live it up.’
Other fans were quick to leap to the defence of Harris and slammed Cornes.
‘Well if it was a full time gig you may have a point, but ya don’t,’ one commented.
Another added: ‘I have no idea who you are… but maybe take the lemon out of your mouth before you speak next time.’
Demons head of women’s football Jessie Mullholland said the club fully supported Harris’ trip to France.
‘Tayla has been presented with an incredible opportunity to go to Paris for the Olympics,’ she told the Herald Sun.
Tayla’s trip to Paris has divided the AFL world and footy fans
It’s understood that the club was informed about Harris’ trip to Paris months ago, where she has interacted with some of the world’s greatest female athletes in recent weeks.
‘And upon her return, she will share her experiences and learnings with the team, providing us with a unique perspective on achieving high performance in various fields,’ Ms Mulholland said
Harris, who is one of Nike’s global icons, backed this up with photos of her training at French rugby club Paris Racing 92’s world class facilities.
She also had some time away from sporting pursuits haring photos of herself at various restaurants and riding a bike on a Paris street.
The Demons’ opening game of the new season is against Geelong on August 31, with Harris struggling to be fit after aggravating a shoulder on a recent training camp.
Whether she plays or not, she will be in Australia for the game, posting on Instagram that she would ‘brb (be right back), in Paris.’
Williams has also attracted some unplanned publicity in the French capital when she called out a five-star hotel for denying her family access to a rooftop restaurant, despite it being empty.
Some have questioned whether Harris (pictured) should have gone to Paris, given the AFL Women’s season starts in three weeks and she is battling to recover from a shoulder injury
The 23-time Grand Slam winner took to X to complain about the treatment she got at The Peninsula Hotel on Monday.
‘Yikes,’ Williams wrote. ‘@peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first.’
The hotel later replied: ‘Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight.
‘Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.
‘We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris.’
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