Sports Rubbish » Australian Rules Football

Aussie Rules football match ends with axe and spear brawl

Jonathan Sacks — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:43:40 +0000

An Aussie Rules Football match on Groote Eylandt off the coast of Australia turned violent over the weekend after fans were incensed by what they perceived as a bad call by the referee.

Fans of the Angurugu Crocs and the Angurugu Roos squared off after the referee awarded a free kick to one team, setting off a fight on the field. As the fight became larger, the match was called off. Then things escalated quickly. Some fans responded by running to their cars to get weapons, including axes and spears.

Initial reports said 500 people were involved in the brawl, but police clarified and said this was the attendance at the match. The police seized several weapons from spectators and are working to identify those involved.

It appears that nobody was seriously hurt, and those involved buried the hatchet and shook hands at a community meeting. The referee certainly learned his lesson and will never award anyone a free kick ever again.

Ref call sparks wild axe brawl [NT News]

Other Articles You Might Enjoy:

Aussie Rules Football Player Gets Beer Thrown On Him By Fan: Video

Jonathan Sacks — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:04:37 +0000

Shane Victorino can take comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only professional athlete to have beer thrown on him this week by an opposing fan.

Down in Australia, Brad Johnson of the AFL’s Western Bulldogs was greeting some children following a match against the Brisbane Lions when a woman tossed her beer on him. The woman went right on chatting on her cell phone after she threw her beverage, and the beer-soaked Bulldogs captain coolly turned and went the other way.

Much like when the Cubs mobilized all of Chicago to track down their beer-tossing culprit, Australian authorities and Brisbane Lions fans are doing the same, but with no luck so far. Considering how outraged fans are though, it’s only a matter of time before they track her down. And then? It’s booting time!

With more and more countries getting in the beer throwing game, look for it to be added to the 2016 Olympics. And yes, it will be added to the Games before baseball.

Beer thrown over Bulldogs captain Brad Johnson [Courier Mail]

Other Articles You Might Enjoy:

Unfortunate Headline Of The Day

Jonathan Sacks — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:04:29 +0000

This headline comes to us courtesy of Australian newspaper The Age.

The article is about an Australian Rules Football coach who was trying to boost the morale of a suspended player. It’s pretty straightforward to have a team nickname and a player name in a headline for a story, but in this case the combination ended up with an entirely different meaning for Americans who happened to see it.

Yes, the team is the Bombers and the player is named McVeigh, resulting in a headline that reads, “Bombers coach to pep up hurting McVeigh.”

Nobody expects people outside of the United States to be conscious of Oklahoma City Bombing references, but that’s an odd headline to be reading.

Other Articles You Might Enjoy:

Aussie Rules Football Player Tim Orchard Flashes His Penis Live On Air

Jonathan Sacks — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:11:58 +0000

Most athletes are content to just sit background in the locker room while a teammate is being interviewed on television. Some might make a strange face or gesture. In Australia, they take out their penises.

Tim Orchard of AFL Tasmania’s Clarence has been suspended for the rest of the season after flashing his penis on television. This wasn’t a Visanthe Shiancoe incident either, as aside from having his junk out, Orchard was fully clothed.

Clarence club president Richard Mulligan said, “We unreservedly apologise for any offence that may have been occasioned by the inappropriate action of the player concerned. Certainly we consider it a very serious matter, one which goes to the very essence of the credibility and the public image of our footy club, and we’ll take action accordingly.”

Tim Orchard indeed issued an apology and will have to undergo counseling and perform community service. Hasn’t he interacted with the community enough already?

Given all of the controversy about the sexual exploits of Australian Football League players, having a guy hang out with his wang out on live TV isn’t going to do anything to improve their image. Or maybe it will get more viewers, who knows?

Footballer flashes penis on television [The Australian]
Footballer suspended for flashing on TV [ABC News]

Other Articles You Might Enjoy:

Australian Rules Football: Where Even The Referees Will Hurt You

Jonathan Sacks — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:56:30 +0000

Most people know that Australian Rules Football is a violent sport.

But did you also know that the referees will also hurt you?

Following an under-18 age group preseason game between the University of Queensland Bulldogs and Kenmore Bears in Brisbane, Australia, a fan/parent named Phil Tagell got into an argument with the referee. The referee won the argument by punching him.

Fisticuffs over a preseason game? It’s a good thing it wasn’t the playoffs, or else he might have shot him.

Before you think this was a fair fight, the guy who was punched by the referee was 61, and the referee was 39.

Phil Tagell had “facial injuries and a 2.5cm-long fracture to the back of his skull.”

According to Tagell, “I have been told by several people to be glad that I’m still alive, because apparently the punch was so good I was unconscious from the moment I was touched. I then did a dead fall backwards onto the concrete where I did most of the damage. I’ve had bleeding and cranial fluid pouring out of my ear and I can’t hear in one ear.”

He’s lucky that it wasn’t Ed Hochuli, or else his head would have been knocked clean off.

Police charged the referee with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm, and he has stepped down from refereeing indefinitely.

“Because of the police investigation we both agreed it was in his best interest and the game’s best interest that he doesn’t umpire from this point onwards. We are very concerned of the nature of the incident,” AFL Queensland chief executive Richard Griffiths said.

That sounds like a very good idea. Might I suggest some anger management classes as well?

AFL Qld bans umpire accused of king hit [Brisbane Times]

Other Articles You Might Enjoy:

Video: Aussie Rules Football Teammates Fight Each Other

Jonathan Sacks — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

It takes some courage to play Australian Rules Football, and that’s before you even take the field in a real match.

During a recent practice for their team, Carlton Blues, Setanta O’hAilpin and Cameron Cloke got into a fight. Technically, it’s a fight, but it really ends up being more of a beating, as O’hAilpin clearly gets the better shots in. Not only did he get the better shots in, he also got the cheaper shots in, kicking Cloke right in the groin as he lays face down on the pitch.

O’hAilpin was suspended indefinitely from the team for the brawl/attack.

Blues chief executive Greg Swann said, “Setanta’s actions were totally unacceptable, on or off the field and we are bitterly disappointed in the incident with Cameron Cloke.”

So in case anyone was curious, there is indeed a line that can be crossed when it comes to violence in Aussie Rules.

O’hAilpin banned over trial match fight [wwos.com.au]
Setanta O’hAilpin Suspended From Aussie Rules Team For Attack On Teammate Cameron Cloke [FanIQ]

Other Articles You Might Enjoy: