Rosewater Football Club must have zero tolerance towards violence, says Jay Weatherill

PREMIER Jay Weatherill — the Rosewater Football Club’s No. 1 ticketholder — is standing by the under-fire team but says it must institute a “zero tolerance” policy for violence.

Rosewater Football Club veteran Adam Rumbelow, with the club’s 1957 premiership captain Clarence Christensen.

• Senior Rosewater player sends nasty message to SAAFL
• Rosewater footy club dumped from league, veteran player banned for 20 years

PREMIER Jay Weatherill — the Rosewater Football Club’s No. 1 ticketholder — is standing by the under-fire team but says it must institute a “zero tolerance” policy for violence.

The SA Amateur Football League has dumped the club for the remainder of 2016 after a series of incidents and abuse directed at umpires. One player has been banned for 20 years after punching an umpire.

Mr Weatherill has been on leave but, on returning Tuesday, said he had spoken with the club’s president and former president.

“I told them that I am more than happy to be associated with a mean, tough football club but what is utterly unacceptable is violence,” he said.

The nasty Facebook post by a Rosewater Football Club senior player.

“I want to work with the club and the amateur league to try and get this club back on track, but frankly there are also some people who need to have a good hard look at themselves.

“There needs to be an acceptance of responsibility.

“They have to sign up to a zero tolerance for violence.

“They have to demonstrate with actions and deeds that they are responsible and (accept) they’ve created a culture at this club that is utterly unacceptable.”

The club now also has to explain why a senior player posted a group photo on social media that said “f*** you” to the SA Amateur Football League.

The SAAFL has asked the club to explain the photo, which appeared on Facebook on Saturday — three days after the club was booted from the state’s largest grassroots competition.

The photo — which shows players gesturing rudely, while the caption reads: “f*** u saafl” — was posted by a senior player.

SAAFL chief executive John Kernahan said the deregistration last week came after “a history of poor behaviour, particularly to umpires, over a two-year period’’.

The club is in Mr Weatherill’s electorate of Cheltenham.

It has vowed to return to the league next year and its president Ron Chapman has personally apologised to the umpires’ panel over player Adam Rumbelow’s attack on central umpire Craig Trewartha.

Mr Weatherill said he would meet with club officials later this week. He said Mr Chapman was “horrified” at the situation.

“They obviously have got themselves into an awful mess here, they know that,” he said.

“They want to turn it around. I think we can rebuild out of this.”

Mr Kernahan previously said the “latest furore” over the Facebook picture validated the league’s concerns about the club.