Collingwood fan faces lengthy ban after grabbing young Eagle

The AFL is investigating after a Collingwood fan grabbed West Coast youngster Harvey Johnston at Marvel Stadium.

A Collingwood fan can expect a call from the AFL after he grabbed a West Coast player during Sunday’s clash at Marvel Stadium.

The fan is likely facing an extended stadium ban after the incident, which the AFL is investigating.

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Early in the final quarter of a match the Pies won by 66 points, West Coast’s Josh Rotham kicked the ball long out of defence towards a marking contest between Collingwood star Josh Daicos and 18-year-old Eagle Harvey Johnston.

As you can see in the video player above, the ball ran over the sideline and Johnston ran to collect it.

That’s when a heavily tattooed fan in a cap and Collingwood jumper put both hands on the West Coast rookie’s head and then pinched the Sherrin from him.

Johnston, who was playing in just his second game, only offered a small smile as the fan handballed the footy back to the boundary umpire.

The Collingwood fan making contact with Harvey Johnston. Photos: Fox Sports

It all seemed fairly innocuous and wasn’t an aggressive act, with the commentators only remarking on the fan’s skills with the footy, but he is sure to be contacted by AFL HQ.

There is recent precedent, with a fan making contact with Richmond’s Marlion Pickett in a round 21 clash against the Bulldogs last season.

As the Tigers found themselves down heavily in the third quarter of that game, a member of the crowd surrounded by Dogs fans reached out and tapped Pickett a series of times on his left shoulder with his back turned.

Pickett immediately swung around and had words with the man, knocking his drink down as the supposed fan appeared to point towards the scoreboard.

Security was also quickly on the scene and Pickett was seen chatting with Tigers official Tim Livingstone during the final break.

Johnston (right) was playing just his second game for the Eagles. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

The AFL came down hard on that fan, banning him from attending any AFL or AFLW match until the end of the 2024 season.

“We have the best fans in the world and more than 6.4 million people have attended the footy this year,” AFL executive Kylie Rogers said at the time.

“And we want everyone who comes to the footy to cheer for their team and enjoy the experience of being there.

“But when you overstep the boundaries, which is what happened on Friday night, then you will lose the privilege of being able to attend the footy

“Our clear message is this – we love the interactions between players and fans especially in the precious moments pre and post-game – however what we saw on Friday night during the match is not acceptable and never will be.”

A fan making contact with Marlion Pickett last year.

Speaking about the incident after the match, then-Richmond coach Andrew McQualter also condemned the actions of the fan.

“It shouldn’t happen … we love fans in our game and they are so critical to our game but players should never, ever be touched when they’re on the football field,” he said.

“It’s disappointing that happened.

“I think all Marlion was doing (at three-quarter time) was alerting Tim to the fact that something happened and just getting security to deal with it.

“The AFL will deal with it now.”

The Collingwood fan is likely set to face a similar punishment over a potentially dangerous move the AFL is determined to stamp out of the sport.