Local football Victoria: Police vow to prosecute people who commit violent non-football acts

There have been a spate of horrific violent acts on footy fields this season — and police have a warning for would-be ‘coward punchers’.

Football thugs who commit vicious on-field attacks, leaving players with serious lifelong injuries, will be hunted hard by authorities.

Victoria Police vowed assaults and other violence committed under the cloak of a suburban footy game would be “investigated thoroughly”.

The push to banish footy violence on the eve of finals comes after several sickening acts which occurred at the local level in the 2022 season including an assault on ex-AFL midfielder Ryan Bastinac.

Bastinac, headbutted during a Mornington Peninsula Nepean league match, said the field wasn’t “free reign” to assault people.

“Coward hits in local footy are not on in this day and age..,” Bastinac said on social media.

“This bloke tried to elbow me … then he just went the massive headbutt and they are the things that I am not going to put up with at local level.”

Former Melbourne and Collingwood player Lynden Dunn was also punched during a local footy game.

Dunn, a former top-line defender, had his jaw broken while playing for Coburg West.

Ryan Bastinac during his Brisbane Lions playing days.

A 16-year-old player was arrested after punching an opponent unconscious in a brawl during an under-17s match played earlier this year.

Police were called to two Western Region league games this season after brawls broke out.

Last weekend a suburban women’s game was abandoned after players, officials and spectators brawled during a match between Oak Park and Westmeadows.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said footy field violence should be reported to authorities.

“It doesn’t matter whether it happens on the field … any form of violence is unacceptable,” the spokesperson said.

“While we appreciate that there is an edge to contact sports which can result in some natural levels of aggression between competitors, there is a line and it is completely unacceptable for anyone to be punched, kicked or violently assaulted during a sporting match.

“The community can be assured any report of an assault will be investigated thoroughly.”

Former Pie and Demon Lyndon Dunn celebrates a goal for Collingwood.

Leading brain injury researcher Dr Andrew Lavender, who said violent non-football acts can be “more severe” than incidental footy acts, echoed calls for thuggery to be prosecuted.

“If you’re running towards another player you’ll bring the shoulder up, tuck your head in and take the impact … you’ve braced for it …,” Dr Lavender said.

“If you’re hit and you’ve got no clue, you’re watching the ball … and there’s a player coming towards you and cleans you up or someone turns around and just clocks you that’s where the injury will be more severe …”

Dr Lavender, senior lecturer in exercise science at Federation University and former country footballer, said a concussed player had a lower threshold to resist the next injury.

This brawl between Tarneit and North Sunshine saw the match called off.

“(An injury) that’s quite severe that results in loss of consciousness (and) potential bleeding on the brain could lead to death …,” Dr Lavender said.

“That procedure (to check for concussions in amateur sport) isn’t done so you get these short-term symptoms …

“The chances of getting a second injury is highly increased … it’s going to be much worse …

“I really don’t see the difference between getting punched on the footy field and knocked out at your local pub … how is that different,” Dr Chandler.

“That’s still an assault, that’s still deliberate … I think when that happens out on the street people are prosecuted when it happens on a footy field it’s less likely to be prosecuted and I really don’t see why that should be.”

Prominent Melbourne lawyer Justin Quill, partner with major law firm Thomson Geer, agreed football thuggery needed to be prosecuted but he doesn’t want police patrolling games looking for assaults.

“From a legal perspective, when you run onto the footy field you’re accepting you will get contact and maybe even sometimes a punch in the course of play. So while punches can and should carry league suspensions, we don’t want every act or even every punch reported to police” Mr Quill said.

“Of course thuggery and acts of violence that are totally outside the rules — like a coward punch behind the play — should be reported to police and it should be the leagues and the clubs of the victim players who make those reports.

“And where a criminal assault is proved, the courts should throw the book at offenders.”

A spokesman from AFL Victoria said the state’s governing body had several initiatives to try and curb on-field violence.

AFL Victoria released a social media campaign targeting violence, umpire abuse, respect and anti-social behaviour at the suburban level.

For the second part in our look into on-field violence, go to the Herald Sun website tomorrow morning.

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