AFL fan banned over disgusting post-match act
Port Adelaide have banned the fan who threw a drink at Richmond star Tom Lynch from holding membership of the club for two years.
Lynch was preparing to do a post-match interview on the sidelines of the Adelaide Oval after the Tigers edged out the Power in a hard-fought preliminary final.
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In the moments before going to air however, the fan in question hurled a drink at the Richmond forward, dousing him and the Channel 7 broadcast crew in the process.
The star forward was subject to boos throughout the match, having earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour on the field after escaping suspension earlier in the season for several striking incidents.
Lynch’s unpopularity doesn’t excuse this sort of behaviour though, and Port Adelaide issued a statement in which they said they would ‘not tolerate’ any such acts towards players.
“The Port Adelaide Football Club has revoked for two years the membership of a patron who threw a drink at a Richmond player following Friday night’s Preliminary Final,” the club’s statement read.
“The club will not tolerate actions that are in breach of the Club’s spectator code of behaviour, and endorses the further AFL and Stadium sanctions.”
Richmond won the preliminary final against the Power by six points.
Tom Lynch consoles Port Adelaide fan after win
Witness to the post-match ugliness was young Port Adelaide fan Archer Merritt and his father Jason, who were stunned by the behaviour of their fellow Power fans.
Lynch and Archer had a quick conversation about what had happened shortly after the post-match interview on the ground, and Channel 7 later caught up with the youngster to get more details about what they said.
“The Port Adelaide supporters were bullying him and making fun of him because he kicked a goal. We felt bad for him and we wanted to congratulate him,” Archer told the network.
Archer’s father Jason also shed more light on the heartwarming moment, saying he wanted to explain to his son that it was important to know how to behave after a loss, to show class.
“One of the Port supporters had thrown his drink all over Lynch,” Jason said.
“Archer was getting a bit worried because things were getting a bit violent and escalated. I took him up the back away from it and said to him, ‘That’s not how you lose.
“That’s poor sportsmanship to carry on like that when your team has lost.
“Archie felt bad for that and understood that’s not how you lose a game of football, and that’s not how you treat footballers.
“So he asked if he could get down there and congratulate Tom Lynch on making the Grand Final.”
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