FAMILY members of one of the victims of Sunday’s Peel Football League grand final brawl have spoken out and said the violence was unacceptable.
A fight involving up to 30 people broke out at Bendigo Bank Stadium in Mandurah late in the final quarter of the South Mandurah/Waroona premiership clash.
Play was suspended while security officers and police broke up the brawl, which left two people in hospital.
Charges have yet to be laid in relation to the incident, but the family of a man seriously hurt during the fight wants answers.
“There is no excuse for that behaviour,” a female relation of a victim said.
“[The victim] was not involved in any altercation before the brawl.
“He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The injured man’s unfortunate timing saw him sustain a fractured eye socket and cheekbone and a broken nose after being hit from behind and knocked unconscious during the melee.
There to watch the big game with his family, the man has since been forced to shell out hundreds of dollars in medical fees for dental work and a CT scan.
“Someone needs to be held accountable,” the relation said.
“[The victim] is not in a good way.”
Witnesses to the brawl described it as “sickening”, with some saying the victims taken to hospital were lucky not to have been killed.
“I’ve seen a few bust-ups at footy games,” one said.
“But nothing like this.
“This made me sick to my stomach.”
Police investigations are continuing, but at this stage it is not yet clear if charges will be laid against those who started the fight.
