Fan apologises, AFL comes down hard on Pies/Eagles crowd incident

The AFL has come down hard on the Collingwood fan who touched the head of young West Coast player Harvey Johnston on Sunday, banning him for at least six months.

The Magpies supporter has received a 12-month ban with six months suspended, meaning he won’t attend an AFL or AFLW game again in 2024.

The incident occurred in the final term of Sunday’s game which Collingwood would win by 66 points, with Johnston spilling over the boundary and into the arms of the crowd.

Johnston was patted on the head by the bearded man, who then grabbed the footy off him and handballed it to the boundary umpire.

Johnston, 18 and playing just his second AFL game, never appeared fazed by the incident.

But the AFL has reiterated its message that incidents such as these are not acceptable.

It follows a similar stance when a supporter touched Richmond’s Marlion Pickett on the back during a clash against the Western Bulldogs last year, with that fan banned for 12 months.

“While we acknowledge the innocuous nature in which the incident played out on the day, these types of interactions should not happen. Grabbing a player from over the fence could have potentially escalated if it wasn’t for the professional manner in which Eagles player Harvey responded,” AFL legal counsel Stephen Meade said in a statement, via News Corp.

“We also acknowledge the fan involved proactively made himself known to security and Police and apologised to both Collingwood, West Coast and the AFL, and recognise his immediate understanding of his actions not being acceptable.

“We have the best fans in sport, and more than 3.1 million people have attended the footy this year and we want everyone who comes to games to barrack for their club and enjoy the experience, but when you overstep the clear boundaries, which is what happened on the weekend, then you will lose the privilege of being able to attend the footy.

“Reinforcing what we communicated last year – we love the interactions between players and fans especially in the moments pre and post-game, and the occasion in-game when a player celebrates with his club’s fans – however what we saw on Sunday during the match is not acceptable.”

The fan has also spoken to 9News and acknowledged the error of his ways.

“My behaviour was unacceptable. There is a rule in place by the AFL and those things are in place for a reason,” he said in a clip posted by Nine reporter Tom Morris.

“I broke a rule and I should be dealt with by the AFL.

“I was there as a family man and I left a broken man because of what had happened. (It was) a spur-of-the-moment choice I wish I could take back but I can’t.”

News Corp reports Collingwood has also suspended the supporter’s decision for the rest of the season.