Top 5 most memorable brawls in AFL history
There’s nothing quite like an on-field brawl post-game, mid-game, and even before the game begins. Fights break out among field members all the time. Here, we count down some of the biggest AFL brawls ever witnessed.
5 most memorable brawls in AFL history
5. North Melbourne vs Carlton (1987)
One of the most infamous games in AFL/VFL history happened when North Melbourne and Carlton clashed at the Oval in London in 1987 for the Fosters International Cup Qualifying Final.
What was meant to be an exhibition match turned into an all-out brawl, now remembered as the "Battle of Britain."
With Carlton’s Rhys-Jones and North Melbourne’s Alastair Clarkson among many clashing, the game erupted into chaos. The repercussions included multiple penalties and a four-match suspension for Clarkson.
4. Richmond vs Essendon (1974)
Players from Essendon, Richmond, policemen, and even a horse were involved in this epic “battle.” In Round 7 of the 1974 season, Essendon runner Laurie Ashley verbally abused Richmond's Mal Brown with a long string of cusses. This morphed into a series of events, spiraling out of control, with Essendon's John Cassin all the way from the benches caught up in the fray.
The brawl got more intense as players, officials, and even fans joined in. Richmond won the match but the aftermath saw quite a number of penalties and a six-game suspension for Ron Andrews
3. Collingwood vs Essendon (1990 GF)
The 1990 Grand Final between Collingwood and Essendon is an unforgettable moment in AFL history, not just for the match itself, but the ferocious brawl that followed.
At the quarter-time siren’s blare, what began as a few heated words being thrown around quickly broke into a physical fight. Surprisingly, this fight didn’t involve only players, but coaches as well.
The brawl saw Collingwood's stalwart Gavin Brown get knocked out by Essendon’s Terry Daniher who would suffer a 12-week suspension as the central figure of the fight.
The duo was separated after Brown’s KO, but the main fight unfolded at halftime. Collingwood coach Leigh Matthews, enraged and fuming, stormed towards Daniher. In a moment captured by Herald Sun photographer Craig Borrow, Matthews, holding the dazed Brown, screamed at Daniher, "He's coming back," among a barrage of cusses, though no physical harm was done.
Essendon captain Tim Watson, while describing the exchange to Herald Sun years later, remarked that Matthews came at Daniher "like a madman."
Post-game, Matthews apologized to Daniher, acknowledging that his outburst was a heat-of-the-moment reaction. The day reportedly ended with a "no grudges" handshake and Collingwood clinching their first premiership win since 1958.
2. West Coast vs Fremantle (2000)
July 30, 2000, on the bright side, brought us remarkably close to another Western Derby with a one-point thriller that raised Fremantle from over seven goals short in the third quarter to a win.
The ugly side of the game, a brawl post-match overrides whatever accomplishments both teams made that day, and understandably so.
1. Hawthorn vs Essendon (2004)
Setting a record of 27 charges laid between 18 Essendon players and nine Hawks, this memorable game is now known as the ‘Line in the Sand’ match.
According to colleagues, Matthew Lloyd and Sam Mitchell had it coming for a while.
A halftime address from then-director of Hawthorn, Dermott Brereton, sparked it. In the locker room, Brereton had challenged the Bombers to "draw a line in the sand," to take a stand against Essendon who had dominated the Hawks with 14 defeats in 10 years prior. That number would rise to 15 by the end of the game, but Hawthorn would not go down without a (literal) fight.
It all began when Hawthorn’s ruckman Robert Campbell was tackled to the ground by Bomber Mark Johnson. This sparked retaliation from the Hawks.
Former Hawk Campbell Brown disclosed the details of the fight on Triple M in 2019, saying that Brereton put together a team of himself, Lance Picioane, Richie Vandenberg, and Nathan Thompson, challenging them to"do something about it.” Hawks coach Peter Schwab, a typically cool-headed figure, fed up with the bullying, supported the move. Hawthorn may not have won the game, but they sent a message across that night.