Fights at the game — rein in your mates

[Mr Miyagi]

Quite a few punch ups at the G between our supporters and the blues. If your mates are drinking and getting aggro, have a word and pull them in. Doesn’t matter if they’ve done nothing wrong and the other guys started it. Have a designated “driver” who’s sober and can calm them down. Not great for our reputation, and I’ve seen too much of the consequences of violence. Call police/security in before it escalates — don’t wait for punches to fly. Carn the pies!

[Woods Of Ypres]

scheduling 3.20pm games is not helpful. many punters have had a skinful by 3pm in the Richmond pubs. just wait until the Geelong game.

[Mr Miyagi]

Yeah a mate was just saying this to me. Won’t be as bad as Carlton Collingwood though

[Piesnchess]

This is why I dont go to these huge matches, no more, because of this. Id only go if I paid top membership , and got a reserved seat, amongst my Magpie peers, all around me. Its asking for troubles when you have one eyed Pies fans, and Blues fans, sitting right next to each other, beside you, at back of you, in front. Of course, comments an snide digs are going to flow, and when the grog kicks iin, the cheery banter goes out the door, and it can and does , turn nasty. Like imagine us in first half, nice lead, coasting along fine, giving out a few sly digs, then imagine them in third Qtr, going apeshit as they tore us apart, eight goals. THEN imagine last qtr, we start big fightback, Blues fans getting very edgy, scared, then we prevail, an break their blue dark hearts, and we may then go apeshit ourselves, and gloat a tad. That is what leads to punch ups, one point win, shattered Blues fans, Magpies fans going crazy, its a perfect storm for fights, when you throw in the booze factor too. Yep, no more big games for me, out in the stands with the riff raff, not knowing who will sit near you, right beside you, I go to smaller crowd games so I can moves seats, if im near some asshole, stirrer, im over these big trouble matches, beyond it now, just watch Kayo live on our big TV Screen, no fuss, great view of the game, drink a few whiskies, no driving, not getting ripped off for food, etc, relax far more, thats how I roll now, thanks very much.

[Mr Miyagi]

It’s more they’re on the booze since lunch, Piesnchess. By the time the game starts at 3:20, they’re half smashed already. The close tense game with everything on the line didn’t help either!

[Johnno75]

Doesn’t help if you get there early for the VFL. That’s what used to happen in the old days. You’d be tanked by half time in the main game. Still if you can’t handle your booze then don’t drink in public.

[Presti35]

[stui magpie]

If you can't handle your booze, don't drink at all.

[watt price tully]

[Jezza]

[RudeBoy]

Just as well I'm having to watch our games on my computer here in Paris, otherwise I'm sure I'd have been dodging and weaving at the G to prevent getting my head knocked off by some of those feral scum supporters.

[Pies4shaw]

I don't think we should overreact about this. I bet that there were Collingwood and Carlton supporters getting stuck into each other, drunk, at pubs all around the country. About once a decade or so there is a serious incident at or near an AFL venue - that doesn't necessitate segregation.

Drunken idiots will be drunken idiots. I recall, many, many years ago my grandmother and me being attacked on a train heading to Clifton Hill by a drunken North supporter. We weren't wearing club colours and we weren't being loud - I doubt anyone would have thought we'd been at the footy - this idiot punched me, pushed my grandmother and then jumped off the train. In the return match, at Victoria Park, we were walking under the railway line at Johnson St and there was a huge conflagration there, with police in attendance. I could see enough to establish that the guy with the knife in him on the ground was the North supporter who'd behaved like a ratbag on the train earlier in the year.

I do think people should have the opportunity of attending just with fans of their team - I remember how irritating it was when there were two seats in the middle deck of the Ponsford behind the goals that were immediately in front of me and, somehow, always occupied by opposition supporters - it really does take a certain kind of person to sit with several thousand Collingwood fans there and abuse Collingwood players and supporters. On the other hand, the world is full of people who like to go to the game with friends who barrack for the other team and I think they should have that opportunity.

Much of the problem, when it dose occur, really seems to be associated with drinking (see, eg, this: https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-news-2022-over-50-fans-thrown-out-of-mcg-during-richmond-vs-essendon-dreamtime-game-crowd-violence-police/news-story/1bdb84f233a78e417673eb06748f5516 ). Maybe that's what needs to be regulated.

[aus50ford]

I used to work with a Scottish guy who grew up in the 70's/80's in Glasgow watching the Rangers,

When he went to his first AFL game he was very nervous for his family as all supporters sat together, but by the end of the game he loved it, fantastic atmosphere he said

can't let segregation happen

[Skids]

90,000 people packed into a venue, there's bound to be 100's of muppets amongst the crowd. Add alcohol and it's not hard to imagine what might happen.

Subiaco oval, after we'd beaten the wiggles in an extra time final, was the worst I've experienced. 3 of us surrounded by dozens of drunken wiggles fans. Little did they know, their superior numbers weren't going to help them.

All because we dared sing our song in victory, ...losers.

[Dark Beanie]

Looking at the vision, it was one guy who wanted to have a go.

And security was pretty slow to get to the fracas.