AFL punch-up: The moment that exposed Palaszczuk Government’s border hypocrisy
The two Richmond players kicked out for a fight on the Gold Coast have embarrassed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her hardline border stance, who is accused of giving the AFL special treatment while turning families away for medical treatment.
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TWO Richmond Tigers players will be booted out of Queensland – and their club heavily fined – after they were arrested for brawling outside a Gold Coast strip club in the AFL’s worst biosecurity breach to date.
In a scandal that has ramped up pressure on the State Government for rolling out the red carpet for AFL stars, Richmond’s Sydney Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones have been suspended for 10 matches and the incident will cost the club $100,000 after they got into a fight outside Hollywood Showgirls while eating kebabs.
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They were both arrested and issued fines for public disturbance involving violent behaviour, with Coleman-Jones taken to hospital with injuries to his face.
It comes amid growing embarrassment for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who this week has been accused of giving special treatment to hundreds of AFL players, families and executives arriving ahead of the grand final while her hardline border stance has seen people turned away for medical treatment.
Just last week two Queensland sisters serving in the navy missed their father’s funeral in Toowoomba after being denied an exemption to leave isolation to attend, despite their mum pleading that she would put them in “hazmat” suits.
Ms Palaszczuk last night told the league to send the Richmond pair home.
“AFL players caught breaking COVID rules should be sent home,” she said. “Queensland won’t tolerate it. I know the AFL takes these issues seriously and will take appropriate action.”
A lengthy statement released by the Richmond Football Club late yesterday said Stack and Coleman-Jones had been drinking at a club function within the hub when they decided to catch an Uber into the Surfers Paradise nightclub strip.
“The pair chose to continue drinking at the completion of the function in their rooms before going out and attending a venue,” the statement said.
“The players were subsequently involved in an altercation outside a Surfers Paradise takeaway food outlet.”
The fight broke out at 3.30am outside the club where the pair were eating kebabs on a bench.
Security footage from the shop showed the players being approached by an unknown man before getting into a scuffle.
“Police arrested two men following a disturbance in Surfers Paradise early this morning,” a police statement said. “Around 3.30am, officers responded to reports of two men, aged 20 and 21, involved in a physical altercation on Orchid Avenue.
“Both men sustained facial injuries as a result of the incident. The men were both issued with a Police Banning Notice, excluding them from Gold Coast Safe Night Precincts and a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) for Public Nuisance (Violent Behaviour). Further investigations are continuing into the matter.”
Hollywood Showgirls would not confirm whether the players had attended the venue. However, sources close to the club have told The Courier-Mail the players were inside before the brawl.
“To our valued customers, what happens in Hollywood stays in Hollywood,” a statement from the strip club’s licensee Craig Duffy said.
“We value our customers’ privacy whether they be an unknown client or a high profile celebrity or athlete. We cannot confirm or deny any fight or eviction occurred.”
Richmond CEO Brendon Gale said he was disappointed in the pair.
“Richmond – like all clubs – has a responsibility to the game, and the broader AFL community, to observe the COVID-19 protocols that the AFL has put in place. Clearly Callum and Sydney did not meet that responsibility this week, and we are incredibly disappointed,” he said.
“These players made very poor decisions after consuming too much alcohol, choosing to leave the club’s hub in the early hours of Friday morning, and in doing so potentially putting themselves, their teammates and the AFL season at risk.
“Their decision to attend a venue while outside the hub was also completely unacceptable, and in no way aligns with what we stand for as a club.
“They have let down themselves, teammates, our members and supporters, our partners and the entire AFL industry.
“Yes, young people can make mistakes, but we expect better.”
Mr Gale said the two players were “extremely remorseful” and apologised.
“That apology extends to the Queensland Government and Police who have far more significant matters to attend to in these difficult times,” he said.
AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said: “It is a privilege to be able to continue our competition, and with that privilege comes responsibility.
“The actions of the players are not only irresponsible but disrespectful to the competition and everyone associated with it.”
Kebab Zone owner Mick Akca blamed another “troublemaker” for the fracas outside his shop.
Mr Akca was working in his shop next to the Hollywood Showgirls when the fight erupted.
“These two guys (Stack and Callum-Jones) come and ask me nicely to make my special two best kebabs,” he said.
He said the two players were eating when they were approached by a “really, really, really drunk guy”.
“I’ve seen this guy around, he’s a troublemaker,” he said.
He said the players pushed the man away but he fell to the ground and then the fight broke out.
“(The players were) not the troublemakers … I didn’t see anything wrong with their actions,” he said. “The other chubby guy, who fell down, he was the troublemaker. Why he walked to them to say something, I don’t know. He was drunk.”
The brawl was the club’s second offence, which drew a $75,000 fine and reinstated a $25,000 fine that had been suspended after a player’s wife left the bubble to visit a day spa.
