Violent clashes among Collingwood fans at MCG during wildcard AFL game
Consensus Summary
Violent clashes erupted among Collingwood fans at the MCG during the tense wildcard AFL game against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night. Four men, aged 21, 22, 24, and 39, were ejected and fined for riotous behavior after fights broke out near the fence on level 1, with footage showing punches and shoving. The Bulldogs won by three points, 96 to 93, after Collingwood’s Tim Membrey’s final shot missed. The incident occurred in front of 81,036 fans, marking the end of Collingwood’s finals season. While both sources agree on the core facts, 7NEWS includes additional commentary from fans and players, such as Steele Sidebottom’s farewell and Scott Pendlebury’s departure, while THEAGE provides more detail on the physical nature of the altercation, including the use of clothing as a weapon.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Four men aged 21, 22, 24, and 39 were evicted from the MCG and issued penalty notices for riotous behaviour
- The Western Bulldogs defeated Collingwood by three points in the wildcard final, with scores 14.12 (96) to 14.9 (93)
- The game took place on Friday night at the MCG, with 81,036 fans in attendance
- Fights broke out on level 1 near the fence during the game
- Tim Membrey’s set shot sailed to the right side of the goals in the final seconds, costing Collingwood the game
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Football podcaster DanDoesFooty posted footage of the incident, captioning it 'Pies fans turning on each other'
- Children were present in the area where the fights occurred
- Razed footy commented: 'WOW!! Things got absolutely HEATED among Pies fans after Collingwood were eliminated by just THREE points in the first-ever Wildcard Final'
- A fan account said: 'Wow, Pies fans having a full blown punch on was not on my bingo cards tonight'
- Steele Sidebottom played his last game for Collingwood, and Scott Pendlebury will depart for Gold Coast in the 2027 season
- One man attempted to hit another with a piece of clothing during the fracas
- Fans tried to swing punches over a metal and concrete fence separating seating sections
- Security personnel and police officers broke up a fight among three men while shoving continued elsewhere
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- 7NEWS states the game was on Friday night, but neither article explicitly confirms the exact date beyond 'Friday night'—no contradiction in dates since both refer to the same event
Source Articles
Wild vision emerges from inside the MCG as ‘Pies fans turn on each other’
Police and security quickly rushed to the scene where ‘full blown’ punches were thrown.
Four men ejected from MCG after fight during wildcard AFL game
The men, three aged in their 20s and one aged 39, were booted from the MCG for a fight which required security and police officers to break up.
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