Skip to main content

Daring pitch invader with a hole in his underwear storms the field during the AFL Grand Final as Melbourne pulls away for historic premiership victory

A pitch invader with a noticeable hole in his underwear stormed the field at three-quarter time during Saturday's AFL Grand Final.

With the Melbourne Demons well on the way to securing their first flag since 1964, the man sprinted onto the playing area at Perth's Optus Stadium.

Leaping on to the field at the city end, the man ran through the middle of the oval but was unable to escape security guards who were closely pursuing him.

The man - who was then escorted away by seven guards - could be issued a hefty fine of up to $5000.

Attention quickly though turned to the players wearing the blue and red guernsey as the Melbourne Demons broke their 57-year title drought.

The pitch invader being chased by security during the 2021 AFL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on Saturday

The pitch invader being chased by security during the 2021 AFL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Demons and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on Saturday

The man showed some impressive early pace, before the security guards swarmed in large numbers

The man showed some impressive early pace, before the security guards swarmed in large numbers

Despite being cornered by security, the man was all smiles as he was escorted away from the field

Despite being cornered by security, the man was all smiles as he was escorted away from the field

The man (pictured) was quickly removed by a team of security guards at Perth's Optus Stadium

The man was quickly removed by a team of security guards at Perth's Optus Stadium

The Demons were first on the scoreboard with two behinds before Christian Petracca extended their lead to boot the first goal of the contest.

Luke Beveridge's Bulldogs fought back strongly in the second quarter, finding themselves eight points up at halftime. 

An emphatic third quarter then set up the Demons to finally end their premiership drought, with the end margin a whopping 74 points.

Pre-game, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan arrived via train proudly donning a Melbourne scarf as he posed for photos with fans.

Footage of McGowan openly showing his allegiance to the Demons surprised Channel 7 commentators.

'He's made a statement there, I did not expect that,' James Brayshaw said.

Abbey Holmes added: 'That's controversial.'

The sell-out crowd also enjoyed a pre-match entertainment line-up of Australian chart-topping anthems from the likes of Eskimo Joe and John Butler ahead of the first bounce at 7.15pm .

But not everyone watching at home was impressed, with some calling the musical entertainment 'worse than Meatloaf' - referring to American singer Meatloaf putting in a widely panned 12-minute performance at the 2011 AFL Grand Final at the MCG.

Once the fulltime siren went, the Demons players celebrated as a unit after breaking their premiership drought of 57 years

Once the fulltime siren went, the Demons players celebrated as a unit after breaking their premiership drought of 57 years

The Demons celebrate after winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs

The Demons celebrate after winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs

Luke Jackson of the Melbourne Demons celebrates after booting a goal during his team's Grand Final win

Luke Jackson of the Melbourne Demons celebrates after booting a goal during his team's Grand Final win

Jack Viney started the match strongly for the Melbourne Demons, who proved too strong for the gallant Western Bulldogs

Jack Viney started the match strongly for the Melbourne Demons, who proved too strong for the gallant Western Bulldogs

Bulldogs cult hero Bailey Smith had an unusual preparation when he arrived at the ground separately from his teammates after leaving his official player accreditation at the team hotel.

In AFL obsessed Melbourne, fans have gathered at a number of private venues to watch the big game - despite warnings from health officials to stay home.

It came after Victoria recorded 847 newly acquired Covid cases and one death on Saturday, the highest daily infection spike during the pandemic.

A crowd of over 60,000 made their way to Optus Stadium in Perth for the 2021 AFL Grand Final

A crowd of over 60,000 made their way to Optus Stadium in Perth for the 2021 AFL Grand Final

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Taliban's medieval justice: The corpses of three 'criminals' are hoisted from diggers in Herat after they 'invaded another man's home and tried to rob him' in Afghanistan

The bodies of three alleged criminals were hung from diggers in Afghanistan by the Taliban, harrowing pictures released today show. According to deputy governor Mawlawi Shir Ahmad Muhajir, the three men were killed by another man when they entered his home in Obe district in Herat province. In the graphic images shared on social media, the corpses are shown publicly hoisted into the air and hanging by their necks from the raised arms of two diggers as people below watch on and take photographs. Tuesday's gruesome publicly display is yet another example of the kind of practices that feed international concern that the Taliban have returned to their brutal ways last seen when they were in control of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. This is despite the Taliban frequently insisting to the world that it has changed from the hard-line Islamic group that doled out brutal punishments to criminals and greatly restricted the rights of the country's citizens, particularly women and girls. P...

Gambino family underboss dies in prison from 'health issues' at the age of 89: Daughter 'rushed to be by her father's side and he sang Frank Sinatra as he took his last breath'

Frank LoCascio, the Dapper Don's former underboss and acting consigliere, passed away Friday after serving 31 years of a life sentence A Gambino crime family underboss who stayed loyal to John Gotti even as the pair were hit with life sentences during a 1992 murder and racketeering trial has died in prison at age 89. Frank LoCascio, the Dapper Don's former underboss and acting consigliere, passed away Friday at the Federal Medical Center, Devens - a facility that houses federal prisoners with health issues - in Massachusetts. His daughter, Lisa LoCascio, was by his side as he took his last breaths.  LoCascio had been incarcerated for 31 years before his death last week after famously refusing to snitch on notorious mob boss Gotti during their infamous and highly publicized trial.  What's more, the high-ranking mafioso managed to cheat death during his three decades in the pen even with Gotti as his enemy, after the Teflon Don turned on him and put a 'contract' on hi...

The Texas abortion ban sends mixed signals about the future of Roe v. Wade.

Legal experts say it is still unclear how the Supreme Court will rule on long-standing abortion guarantees, which it plans to review later this year. Despite uproar from activist organizations that see the move as a de facto departure from the 1973 ruling, the Supreme Court's failure to act on Texas's near-total abortion ban does not necessarily mean Roe v. Wade is dead. Legal experts say it is unclear how the Supreme Court will rule on long-standing guarantees for abortion, which it plans to review later this year when it hears a direct appeal against this important ruling. Texas' first-of-its-kind law allows individuals, not the government, to impose a six-week ban on abortion and file lawsuits against health professionals or anyone who helps someone get an abortion. Clinics and other potential claimants will find it more difficult to establish their position in court or to determine a specific target for satisfying claims due to the unusual enforcement mechanism. Judges...