EFNL: Police called after 14-year-old coward punched in Vermont vs Mooroolbark match
A junior footballer was allegedly coward punched twice by an opponent in an under-14s game in Melbourne’s east.
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A junior footballer was allegedly coward punched twice in the head and later collapsed during an under-14s suburban match in Melbourne’s east.
The alleged incident took place during the EFNL D-grade game between Vermont and Mooroolbark at Vermont Recreation Reserve on May 16, with details emerging on 3AW’s rumour file on May 17.
Leader understands a Vermont player was on the ground late in the first half when a Mooroolbark player suddenly coward punched him twice in the head.
The Vermont player got to his feet but collapsed as he was being helped off the ground, and was later assessed by paramedics in the team’s rooms.
Spectator Alan, whose son coached Vermont and whose grandson played in the game, witnessed the aftermath of the incident which occurred near the Mooroolbark bench.
“He was a pretty solid boy, he got helped up, then he collapsed and an ambulance got called,” Alan said.
“He got taken to the rooms, but didn’t need to go to hospital, and the police came and were there for about an hour or so and interviewed crowd members and the umpires.”
The match was stopped for about 10 minutes, which Vermont later won 62-34.
Alan said the umpires allegedly gave the Mooroolbark player an immediate four-week suspension and a tribunal hearing on May 20.
Mooroolbark’s junior football president Adam Gatherum said he was unaware of the incident when contacted by Leader.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers attended the match following reports of an assault and spoke with the injured player, his opponent and family members.
The spokeswoman said officers decided not to take police action and to let the league deal with the matter.
The EFNL and Vermont’s junior football president Russell Ternan have been contacted for comment.
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