By Bridie Smith
A man in his 30s was punched and kicked by a group of Hawthorn supporters during a brawl on Friday night at the MCG.
Ten people were evicted after the Hawks’ loss to premiership favourite Collingwood.
Vision of the brawl uploaded to social media platform X shows three men wearing Hawthorn hats and scarves punching and kicking another man who was standing in a stairwell below the trio.
Onlookers can be heard swearing as the 32-year-old struggled to keep his footing on the stairs. He was also hit with the stick of a rolled-up Hawthorn flag.
Other Hawthorn fans can be heard trying to call off the trio.
The altercation ended when security staff intervened after being alerted to the incident by members of the crowd.
The brawl took place in the stands behind Hawthorn’s cheer squad following Collingwood’s emphatic defeat of the Hawks, their third consecutive loss.
More than 83,700 fans attended the game at the MCG.
The MCG did not have any comment on Saturday because it is now a police matter. The AFL and Hawthorn Football Club have been contacted for comment.
“The AFL has been made aware of the matter,” a league spokesperson said.
In a statement, police said they were aware of the fight, which broke out about 10.30pm.
It said the 32-year-old man, who was not injured during the altercation, reported to police that he had been assaulted but that he did not wish to make a statement.
A police spokesperson said he would be able to make a statement at a later date, should he change his mind.
Overall, police said they were generally pleased with the crowd behaviour.
Hawthorn and Collingwood will meet again in round 22.
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