Man charged after plate of nachos thrown at mother and son at AFL prelim final
A 34-year-old man has been hit with three charges after allegedly throwing a plate of nachos at a child and his mother at the AFL preliminary final.
Police were contacted after the full-time siren of the Brisbane Lions’ victory over the Hawks at the MCG on September 19.
Food is thrown by a Hawthorn fan. Nine
An eight-year-old boy and his mother, 47, were allegedly struck by the plate of nachos by an upset Hawthorn fan, leaving the pair covered in guacamole and salsa.
The alleged act came moments after a free-kick was correctly paid against Hawks defender Jarman Impey, leading to a match-winning Lions’ goal.
The mother and her son were not physically injured, Victoria Police confirmed.
The man has since been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of throwing a missile.
He is scheduled to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in March.
The eight-year-old told to 9News at the time of the incident that he “could not understand why anyone would” throw a plate of food at a nearby rival fan.
He added that he wished his dad were nearby to help in that situation.
Nick, the boy’s father, told Triple M that he learned of the incident when footage of the rival fan’s alleged act was published on social media.
He confirmed that the AFL had been in contact with the family after the incident, with his son in the stands at the preliminary final game as part of the Auskick program.
Nick said the AFL offered his son tickets to the AFL grand final but the boy was hesitant to accept them given the aftermath of his preliminary final outing.
“He’s not too keen to be honest, he wants to watch from home,” Nick said.
The Brisbane Lions went on to win their third consecutive flag in the grand final, defeating the Fremantle Dockers 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89).
