SYDNEY coach Paul Roos has condemned as "totally unacceptable" comments West Coast's Adam Selwood is alleged to have made about the six-year-old daughter of Fremantle's Des Headland on the field last Saturday.

Headland and Selwood will front the tribunal tonight to address the matter. The Eagle has been charged with using insulting language towards Headland, and Headland faces a six-match ban for twice striking Selwood.

It has been reported Selwood made explicit sexual references about Headland's daughter, whose likeness Headland has tattooed on his shoulder.

Headland alleges that Selwood said in reference to his daughter, "I f---ed her last night."

Headland replied, "What the hell are you talking about? It's my six-year-old daughter."

Selwood is then alleged to have added, "Yeah, she's a slut." The West Coast Eagles yesterday issued a statement saying Selwood denied the allegations and would speak in his own defence at tonight's hearing.

Roos was emphatic on the general nature of such verbal abuse.

"If we are saying what Des has said Selwood has said … if he said that, I just think you don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to work out that's unacceptable. I don't care where you say it, it's just not acceptable," Roos said.

"If that was said, that's not sledging, that's above and beyond sledging. I've never been one to sledge and I've never been one to support sledging, but I don't think you'd call that sledging. That's just completely unacceptable."

Roos said he would be surprised if anyone viewed the alleged comments as just sledging, and therefore part of the game.

"If that is the case, if we think that is acceptable, it's a sad indictment of where perhaps we think footy and sport is at," Roos said.

Asked if he would have a problem with his players reacting the way Headland did if such remarks were directed towards them, Roos said: "It's very difficult for the player if that had been said.

"Again, we are all presuming that's the case, and it is going to the tribunal. Does what Selwood allegedly said mean that Des can go and belt him? I don't know. It's not for me to determine that and it hasn't happened to any of our players."

Roos said none of his players had ever complained to him about insults on the field.

"I don't think it's a major issue in AFL footy, but certainly if that's exactly what has been said by that particular player, it's not good. I'd be disappointed if any one of my players said something like that. There's a little bit of, 'He said this and, no, I didn't say that', and that's the way I gather it's going to pan out at the tribunal, from what I've read. But it's an interesting case and I'm sure if what Des said Selwood said, it's not too flash."

■ Exciting Geelong youngster Tom Hawkins has won the AFL's Rising Star nomination for round three, AAP reports.

Hawkins, who has been likened to a young Tony Lockett, won the nomination after kicking four goals in the Cats' 52-point drubbing of Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

■ Former Magpies great Len Fitzgerald has died at the age of 76, AAP reports.

After debuting as a 15-year-old in the VFL in 1945, Fitzgerald played 96 games for Collingwood before moving to South Australia where he played 125 games for Sturt.