A man has been arrested after allegedly bashing a footy fan with a didgeridoo outside the MCG last Saturday night.
The horrific incident saw the victim, a Richmond suppoter, set upon after the Dreamtime clash versus Essendon.
Victoria Police arrested a man, 26, on Wednesday morning at a suburban Melbourne property.
Wearing a grey hoodie as he was escorted from the property by police, the man is alleged to have bashed the Tigers fan known only as Daniel, 25, outside the ground along Birrarung Marr, leaving him with fractures to the skull and a broken nose.
Daniel was leaving the stadium when it is alleged he was assaulted.
Victoria Police arrested a man, 26, on Wednesday in suburban Melbourne after he allegedly attacked a stranger with a didgeridoo on Saturday night outside the MCG
Richmond footy fan Daniel was left with two fractures to the skull and a broken nose on Saturday night outside the MCG following the alleged attack
In confronting footage, he can be seen being struck in the head before managing to get on his feet.
Seconds later he again loses his balance and falls.
‘Watching the footage, when I got hit, it looked like I fell and hit my head on the ground,’ he said.
‘Carrying around something and wanting to use it (didgeridoo) as a weapon, is just weak and cowardly.
His grandfather, Robert, said the alleged assault came ‘out of the blue’ and confirmed Daniel’s injuries.
He also told 3AW radio the attack was unprovoked and one of the alleged offenders spat on Daniel at the scene.
Shocked witnesses were left disgusted by the sickening attack.
‘It was very bad, I thought he would of died from the way he fell and the way the guy knocked him with the didgeridoo,’ one person told Seven News.
‘I was worried for me and my mates because who knows what they could of done to us.’
‘It was pretty violent, like hectic.’
His mate added: ‘It was disgusting. When I was there, my heart was beating so fast.’
Two pitch invaders, violence in the stands and a wave of evictions took the gloss off the showpiece of the AFL’s celebration of Indigenous Australia at the MCG.
The Dreamtime at the ‘G clash between Richmond and Essendon turned sour from the three-quarter time break, when two spectators invaded the pitch – before a brawl broke out in the fourth term.
Police have arrested a man, 26, (circled in red) who allegedly bashed a footy fan with a didgeridoo outside the MCG last Saturday night
The pitch invasions and violence marred an otherwise great Dreamtime at the ‘G match, which Richmond won by 32 points (Tigers star Dustin Martin, pictured)
A lifelong footy fan said the crowd in attendance at Saturday’s Dreamtime fixture was the worst he’s ever experienced and as a result he wouldn’t attend the game again
Victoria Police said more than 50 people were evicted from the ground during the match and two officers were assaulted.
They allege a 21-year-old man bit an officer while being taken away, with another man capsicum sprayed after allegedly punching an officer.
Footage taken by a fan shows security staff struggling to contain a pitch invader dressed in Tigers colours inside the 50-metre arc – then, as the offender is being led away, another person dressed in Richmond gear jumps over the fence and is wrestled to the ground by two more guards.
A violent clash broke out between two groups of men near the Tigers’ cheer squad in the fourth quarter, according to a report in the Herald Sun, and another fan video showed three men being taken out of the ground by police.
Police blamed fans drinking heavily before the game for the violence.
Another fan at ground told Daily Mail Australia he repeatedly heard another man shout racial slurs at Richmond player Maurice Rioli (pictured) during the marquee Indigenous fixture
One of the estimated 50 fans who were evicted from the stadium by police is seen being led out of the MCG on Saturday night
A video taken by a fan captured the first pitch invader as security struggled to bring them under control at three-quarter time
‘We did see what appeared to be higher levels of alcohol consumption and aggression. It was noticeable that ‘pre-loading’ of alcohol prior to the game was significant in contributing to more incidents of poor crowd behaviour than usual,’ said Inspector Jamie Templeton.
Officers are investigating an assault that occurred outside the MCG and injured three men, with one taken to hospital.
The incidents occurred against the backdrop of a great Dreamtime at the ‘G match won by Richmond, whose players got involved in the pre-game War Cry in what was one of the biggest highlights from the Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Richmond midfielder Marlion Pickett played a part in designing the guernsey the Tigers wore on Saturday night and took part in the pre-game ceremony, despite being banned for a week for rough conduct.
Speaking on Fox Footy, former Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown described the celebration was one of the highlights of the season and highlighted the significance of Pickett being allowed to take part in the ceremony.