Junior Footballer banned for 200 weeks in Victoria
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 11:45 amA JUNIOR footballer has been suspended for 200 weeks after he allegedly king-hit a 14-year-old in a country Aussie rules grand final on the weekend, breaking his jaw.
Three players from Echuca United Football Club were suspended for a total of 244 weeks over a melee during their under 17s grand final against Congupna.
Congupna were thrashing Echuca United when the fight broke out close to the end of the game.
They won 109 to 21 but their grand final celebrations were marred by what Congupna coach Bruce Fuller said was a "pretty disgusting incident.''
Shepparton teenager Jack Brophy's jaw was broken in three places and will require surgery as a result of the hit.
Mr Fuller said Jack had gone to help a teammate caught up in the melee that happened in the dying minutes of the last quarter.
"A bit of a melee broke out between about 10 or a dozen players one of our young guys went into pull one of our guys out of the contest and he did that the umpire told him to get out so he backed off and a kid run in from probably 20m and king-hit him from behind,’’ Mr Fuller told heraldsun.com.au.
"You don’t want to see that happen on a footy field. He’s a good kid.
"The force of the blow knocked his mouthguard probably 10m out of his mouth.
Mr Fuller praised the teenage umpires’ handling of the incident.
He said the grand final had been a "really clean game of footy’’ before the incident.
"It just came out of nowhere really and just escalated. It turned out ugly in the end. It was a blight on the game.
"It was a really disappointing end to a good game. A lot of people were in shock I can tell you.’’
Mr Fuller said Jack went to hospital after the game but still came to premiership celebrations for about half an hour.
Jack's mother Carmel Brophy said everyone watching was disgusted by the incident.
"I was shocked and I couldn't believe it, it took him a while to get up,'' she said.
"I think it (the penalty) was fair because I don't want it to happen to any other child.''
Mrs Brophy said she had never seen anything like it in junior or senior football.
"Other than that, it was a very clean game, there wasn't a lot of tension before that,'' she said.
"It was just a dreadful thing to happen in a football game.
Mrs Brophy said the incident hadn't put Jack off playing football.
"I don't think anything could put him off playing football, he loves it,'' she said.
The 16-year-old who allegedly hit Jack was suspended for 200 weeks because he failed to appear at the tribunal to answer the charge.
Another player was suspended for 32 weeks for three separate charges while a third player was suspended for 12 weeks on two charges.
The Herald Sun is seeking comment from Echuca United.
The ugly incident comes after a Geelong junior footballer was handed an 18-match ban last week for his part in a wild footy brawl on September 11.
South Barwon player Spencer Kelly copped 12 weeks for what was described as an elbow to the back of the head of a St Joseph's player during the fight which broke out in the teams' under-18 elimination final at Skilled Stadium.
Kelly also received six weeks for leaving the interchange bench to join the melee.
Under VCFL rules, a player who receives a total of 16 matches suspension is automatically deregistered.
Three players suffered concussion in the brawl, two of who were knocked unconscious, with one taken to hospital.
Three players from Echuca United Football Club were suspended for a total of 244 weeks over a melee during their under 17s grand final against Congupna.
Congupna were thrashing Echuca United when the fight broke out close to the end of the game.
They won 109 to 21 but their grand final celebrations were marred by what Congupna coach Bruce Fuller said was a "pretty disgusting incident.''
Shepparton teenager Jack Brophy's jaw was broken in three places and will require surgery as a result of the hit.
Mr Fuller said Jack had gone to help a teammate caught up in the melee that happened in the dying minutes of the last quarter.
"A bit of a melee broke out between about 10 or a dozen players one of our young guys went into pull one of our guys out of the contest and he did that the umpire told him to get out so he backed off and a kid run in from probably 20m and king-hit him from behind,’’ Mr Fuller told heraldsun.com.au.
"You don’t want to see that happen on a footy field. He’s a good kid.
"The force of the blow knocked his mouthguard probably 10m out of his mouth.
Mr Fuller praised the teenage umpires’ handling of the incident.
He said the grand final had been a "really clean game of footy’’ before the incident.
"It just came out of nowhere really and just escalated. It turned out ugly in the end. It was a blight on the game.
"It was a really disappointing end to a good game. A lot of people were in shock I can tell you.’’
Mr Fuller said Jack went to hospital after the game but still came to premiership celebrations for about half an hour.
Jack's mother Carmel Brophy said everyone watching was disgusted by the incident.
"I was shocked and I couldn't believe it, it took him a while to get up,'' she said.
"I think it (the penalty) was fair because I don't want it to happen to any other child.''
Mrs Brophy said she had never seen anything like it in junior or senior football.
"Other than that, it was a very clean game, there wasn't a lot of tension before that,'' she said.
"It was just a dreadful thing to happen in a football game.
Mrs Brophy said the incident hadn't put Jack off playing football.
"I don't think anything could put him off playing football, he loves it,'' she said.
The 16-year-old who allegedly hit Jack was suspended for 200 weeks because he failed to appear at the tribunal to answer the charge.
Another player was suspended for 32 weeks for three separate charges while a third player was suspended for 12 weeks on two charges.
The Herald Sun is seeking comment from Echuca United.
The ugly incident comes after a Geelong junior footballer was handed an 18-match ban last week for his part in a wild footy brawl on September 11.
South Barwon player Spencer Kelly copped 12 weeks for what was described as an elbow to the back of the head of a St Joseph's player during the fight which broke out in the teams' under-18 elimination final at Skilled Stadium.
Kelly also received six weeks for leaving the interchange bench to join the melee.
Under VCFL rules, a player who receives a total of 16 matches suspension is automatically deregistered.
Three players suffered concussion in the brawl, two of who were knocked unconscious, with one taken to hospital.
