A footy fan has been handed a five-year ban from all AFL and AFLW games after throwing a lemon at West Coast player Reuben Ginbey after the Eagles’ win over Essendon in Round 12.
The incident, which after the final siren, sparked widespread disbelief across the football community.
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Channel 7’s Tom Morris revealed the lengthy ban on The Agenda Setters, while also confirming the fan responsible is not an AFL member or a club member of either Essendon or West Coast.
In a bizarre twist, social media vision posted just hours after the incident revealed the fan may have been carrying a second lemon, potentially ready to throw again.
An AFL fan has copped a five-year ban for throwing a lemon. Credit: Seven
“He was ready to go again. What are people thinking? What is going on? Who brings lemons to a game of footy and who throws that lemon? Isn’t it bizarre?” Morris said on The Agenda Setters.
St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt joked: “A second shooter, JFK style. Two lemons.”
“People are strange,” he added.
Ginbey was typically unfazed by the incident in the aftermath, but did admit to being shocked by the situation.
“It didn’t hurt or anything, but it’s just a shock,” he said a few days after the game.
“Like I felt something hit me and it was a lemon. I rolled it back to the crowd.
“It was lucky it didn’t hit me on the head or on the eye. It didn’t bother me personally, but we don’t want things being thrown by the crowd, especially hard things like lemons.”
The five-year ban is in line with other incidents of similar nature.
Earlier this year, a Sydney Swans supporter copped the same ban for throwing a bottle at Hawthorn players at the end of Round 2.
“Footy fans are the best fans in the world, but throwing objects at players will never be acceptable and if caught, you will lose the privilege of being able to attend the footy for a period of time,” AFL head of security and integrity Tony Keane said at the time.
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