IG News Updates,
Three Australian rules players are facing a range of charges including serious misconduct, striking and abuse of an umpire following an investigation into a violent brawl at September’s Grand Final in Katherine.
key points:
- The AFLNT has completed its investigation into a violent grand final match in Katherine three months after the incident
- Three people were arrested at the time, and an umpire was seriously injured.
- Probe found that proper action was not taken on the enmity between the teams
Several spectators also received five-year bans from all AFLNT events as a result of the investigation.
Police arrested three men and chased umpires off the field during a fight that broke out shortly after the Camels defeated the Ngukur Bulldogs in a Big River Football League (BRFL) grand final game in Katherine on 3 September.
An umpire was injured and the live-streamed online video of the Grand Final match and fight was immediately removed from the AFLNT website.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the AFLNT reported that a months-long investigation into the incident – carried out by an independent investigator – found there was no evidence any players were involved in crowd violence and there was strong evidence that The Ngukur players tried to control the crowd.
The investigation found that the fencing of the soccer field was not adequate, with police interviewing the investigator saying that “patrons removed from the venue were returning through a gap in the perimeter”.
The AFLNT’s decision to schedule the match at night may have “contributed” to the incident and said evidence of “ongoing animosity” between the teams “has not been acted upon appropriately by either club and the events of 2022″ can be added to.” BRFL Grand Final”.
Three Ngukkur Bulldogs players are facing a range of charges, including serious misconduct against an umpire, being disrespectful, threatening or behaving in an obscene manner towards an umpire and striking, which results in a match penalty.
A Catherine Camels player will receive an infringement notice for hitting another person, resulting in a 15-match penalty.
The AFLNT stated that each player would be able to have their match penalty reduced with an early guilty plea.
The Katherine Camels received a $2,000 fine, which was suspended entirely for the next three seasons, and the Ngukurr Bulldogs – a remote community team that traveled six hours to compete – were fined $8,000 .
Only half of that fine was suspended for the next three seasons.
Players from remote communities will also be involved in education programs and behavior change programs prior to the start of the 2023 season.
The AFLNT is committed to club forums, community education and a review of the grounds before the start of next season.
In the statement, the AFLNT said it took the violence “very seriously”, adding that “there is no place for violence in our game.”