Glenn Archer says he was trying to protect a young footballer when he ran onto the field of a junior match

NORTH Melbourne great Glenn Archer tells MARK ROBINSON he acted on instinct when he ran on to the field during a junior football match — but denies allegations of violence.

Glenn Archer in action for North Melbourne.

GLENN Archer’s reaction after witnessing a boundary umpire forearm a 14-year-old boy to the head led to the AFL great being charged with assault.

Archer was charged with assaulting the runner of Banyule’s under-15 football team during halftime of a match against Archer’s team, Park Orchards, at Heidelberg on Sunday.

Archer said he confronted the boundary umpire on the ground after the umpire became involved in a fight between two players during the second quarter.

The runner and coaching staff approached Archer at halftime where the alleged incident took place.

Police confirmed a 44-year-old Warrandyte man had been charged with unlawful assault on a 47-year-old man from Montmorency.

Archer told the Herald Sun today he didn’t punch the parent.

“There’s no chance in hell I punched him, I’m sure they have video,’’ Archer said.

Archer, who had his glasses swiped from his face and were later found smashed, said he pushed the runner in the face.

Glenn Archer has spoken about an incident at a junior football match.

The push and shove started, Archer said, when Archer and two other parents saw the boundary umpire involve himself in a fight.

“Two kids were having a fight and that doesn’t bother me because that happens and then the boundary umpire comes to break it up, but breaks it up by grabbing the Banyule kid and then forearms the boy from Park Orchards to the head,’’ Archer said.

Archer did not jump the boundary fence, as has been reported, and instead ran through a gap.

“I ran on, I didn’t even stop to think about it, I just ran to help the young lad,’’ he said.

“What’s your instincts when it happens right in front of you? My instinct was I was going to protect the boy.

ARCHER CHARGED: ARCHER CHARGED OVER JUNIOR FOOTY FIGHT

“I was angry and pointed at the umpire and said: ‘Mate, don’t you ever do that again, that’s not on’.

“I thought that was the end of it, but then others got involved at halftime without knowing what happened.”

He told the Herald Sun: “It’s the old in-hindsight ... if I could pause the situation, see the aftermath, speak to the umpire at halftime.

“But it was a split-second decision to run and protect the kid,’’ he said.

“It might’ve been an accident, but all I see is forearm, head, (think) ‘holy s--t what’s happening here? What’s he doing?’.

“When you see it you just react.’’

The runner from Banyule and the coaching staff, who were on the opposite side of the ground from where the incident took place, confronted Archer who had returned to his standing position.

“The runner was swearing and yelling, so I went to the fence to try to tell him what happened to give him some context, that the boundary umpire hit one of our players.

“I didn’t jump the fence to go at the runner, the runner came to me.’’

He said the runner, who has also spoken to police, was swearing and putting his finger in his face.

A fired up Glenn Archer while playing for North Melbourne.

“I pushed him, I fended him off when he came at me,’’ Archer said.

“It was going pear-shaped, people were everywhere and I thought I had to get myself out of there.’’

He said he left the ground to take the heat out of the situation.

“If I stayed there, and the way they were yelling and screaming, it was just going to continue and it could’ve boiled over, so the best thing was to take myself out of it.’’

In a statement today, Archer, a North Melbourne director, admitted he should not have become involved.

“I would like to apologise unreservedly for my involvement in what transpired at a junior football match in Heidelberg on Sunday,” Archer said.

“Jumping the fence to defend a player was inappropriate and unacceptable.’’

The Herald Sun contacted the two clubs who declined to comment.