Advertisement

Ugly brawl breaks out between fans at AFL game

An ugly brawl between fans broke out on the terraces at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong after the Cats defeated Melbourne after the siren on Saturday night.

Twitter user @TheProfitsComAu shared the damning footage in the hope it would change fan behaviour: “We don’t come to games for this. We expect to feel safe, even in standing room.”

The Geelong supporter claimed he had a beer thrown at his head from behind after “a few drunk Melbourne fans” had been “picking fights” late in the game.

The video shows just one security guard attempt to break up the fight – in part because police apparently left five minutes before the siren of the close game.

One Cats fan could be seen kicking into a pack that had tumbled to the ground, while a man without any team gear was caught punching a Demons supporter on the back of the head.

There was just one security guard on hand to stop the violence. Pic: Twitter/TheProfitsComAu
There was just one security guard on hand to stop the violence. Pic: Twitter/TheProfitsComAu

The man who shared the video said he never felt unsafe until the fights broke out at the end of the thrilling match.

He said multiple people filmed the clash and hoped releasing the footage would help “break this culture” and change behaviours.

He later shared a post-fight clip that showed a drunken Melbourne fan swearing at Geelong supporters as friends attempted to hold him up.

It is not the first time this season that fans have been caught fighting, with a number of embarrassing incidents breaking out in Melbourne and Adelaide earlier in the year.

One fan was banned for life from Etihad Stadium and another charged by police following a brawl in May.

Zach Tuohy was the player who booted the goal after the siren to hand Geelong the comeback victory over Melbourne.

The Irishman’s cool set shot from 35m out capped off a stunning Tom Hawkins-inspired resurgence for the Cats, who overcame a 29-point deficit to post a 16.4 (100) to 14.14 (98) win.

Hawkins played the game of his life, booting four of his equal career-high seven majors in a dominant final term to put the Cats back on track for an AFL finals berth.

The 198cm spearhead was simply unstoppable in the final term, capitalising on supply from a Geelong midfield that dominated the centre clearances when the game was on the line.

Patrick Dangerfield (28 disposals, two goals), Tim Kelly (32 touches) and Gary Ablett (31) played huge roles in the Cats’ comeback, while Tom Stewart was rock-solid down back.

The win lifts Geelong to seventh on the AFL ladder, trailing the sixth-placed Demons on percentage.

with AAP