A Hawthorn fan who allegedly threw nachos at a Brisbane-supporting family at the MCG is expected to face three charges, including two counts of aggravated unlawful assault.
Victoria Police said a 34-year-old Seaford man had been interviewed and was expected to be charged on summons over the incident, which happened after Brisbane’s preliminary-final victory over Hawthorn on Saturday, 19 September.
Investigators allege a 47-year-old woman and an eight-year-old child were standing at the conclusion of the match when a plate of food was thrown at them at about 8pm. Neither was injured, and the woman reported the incident to police the following day.
The man is expected to face two charges of aggravated unlawful assault and one charge of discharging a missile.
The incident came during chaotic scenes following Brisbane’s thrilling win, when Hawthorn supporters threw cans and bottles on to the ground and towards umpires after several contentious decisions in the final stages.
A six-year-old Brisbane fan was taken to hospital and required stitches after being struck on the head by a full can. Police are continuing to make inquiries alongside the AFL and other key stakeholders.
Family offered tickets to the grand final
The father of the family targeted by the nachos said his wife and son had been left shaken and were reluctant to return to the football.
Nick, who was away for the weekend, said he first learned about the incident when a video was shared in the family group chat.
“They were pretty shaken up just dealing with it,” he told Triple M’s Mick in the Morning. “My wife was shaken up, when I spoke to my boy he was really shaken up too.”
He said his son had been attending as part of the Auskick programme and had been “super excited” about the match.
The boy’s mother said the family had been scared to wear Brisbane Lions merchandise after the incident. “I feel scared to go again, and feel like I can’t protect my son,” she said.
Nick said the AFL, Hawthorn chief executive Ashley Klein and the MCG had all contacted the family, and that tickets had been arranged for them to attend the grand final.
“My son is not too keen, to be honest, he’s like, ‘Maybe we should just watch it from home’,” he said. “But nah, we’re gonna go.”
Separately, a 56-year-old Tullamarine man received a 418 Australian dollar penalty notice after allegedly throwing a bottle on to the field. A 40-year-old Croydon man had received the same punishment after being spoken to by police on the night.
Hawthorn players James Sicily and Tom Barrass were also fined 10,000 and 5,000 Australian dollars respectively for their exchange with umpire Hayden Meyer after the final siren.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said he had urged his players to “act with humility” and criticised the small number of supporters who had behaved inappropriately.
“I think one of the great things, I’ve been on record about this regularly, saying how good is Aussie rules footy that you can just take anywhere, you can sit anywhere and you can feel safe all the time,” he said. “And I think we lost that for a moment after the game.”
