Footy fans must pull their heads in after unruly crowd behaviour

When the Victorian premier and the unofficial prime minister of New Zealand, Warriors great Shaun Johnson, are sticking the boot into sporting crowds over bad behaviour, it’s clear things have gone too far.

It was a grim weekend across the AFL and NRL as two thrilling games of football were marred by a handful ofangry spectators hurling projectiles at match officials.

Cans and bottles were thrown at umpires during Hawthorn’s defeat to Brisbane in Saturday night’s preliminary final, while referee Ashley Klein was targeted after a controversial finish to the Warriors-Knights semi-final at Eden Park .

Arguably the worst incident of the lot, however, was the Hawthorn fan at the MCG who allegedly threw a plate of nachos at a woman and her eight-year-old son, prompting Victoria Police to launch an investigation.

The AFL said the behaviour, across the board, had “crossed the line” and warned those responsible could be banned for a minimum of five years. The NRL was equally unimpressed.

“I was scared,” the boy told Nine News. “I don’t understand why anyone would do that.”

His mother, Rose, told 3AW: “It’s absolutely disgusting behaviour, and I am just sick of going out in Melbourne and being worried for my safety.”

Hawthorn fans might have felt robbed by umpire Hayden Meyer’s decision to penalise Jarman Impey for holding the ball, which gifted Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage the goal that put the Lions in front with seconds remaining.

Similarly, Warriors supporters may have felt that Klein had dudded them by not awarding a penalty over Tyson Frizell’s escort on Leka Halasima in the dying stages of their 12-10 loss to Newcastle at Eden Park .

Debate those calls, and boo if you must. Complain about them all the way home. Write about it in a longer-than-necessary Facebook post.

But nothing gives a fan the right to hurl a beer can or water bottle at an official simply doing their job. The lack of respect is astounding.

“I think these people should be made an example of,” said Victorian Premier Ben Carroll. “This could have had catastrophic injuries. If one of those bottles or cans hit an umpire on the head, who knows what could’ve happened.”

In 2005, Australia’s one-day cricketers found themselves on the receiving end of a particularly hostile New Zealand crowd in Wellington. Matthew Hayden was spat on, Simon Katich was hit by bottles near the boundary, and Glenn McGrath became furious with security staff over a perceived lack of protection.

Captain Ricky Ponting eventually called a halt to play to speak with the umpires and demand a greater police presence. This had come after an array of projectiles including golf balls, food scraps, a three-seater couch, a toilet seat and frozen fish had been thrown towards Australian cricketers over the years while playing in New Zealand.