A football grand final in the East Kimberley has been marred by a brawl that left three police officers injured.
Key points:
- A match between Yardgee and Billiluna at Halls Creek ended in a brawl
- Police say three officers were taken to hospital with minor injuries
- Halls Creek Shire president Malcolm Edwards says teams who engage in violence should be disqualified from the competition
The Yardgee Dockers defeated the Billiluna Kururrungku Roos in the East Kimberley Football League Southern Division grand final on Friday night.
A police spokesperson said officers at the oval responded immediately to a “large brawl” and eventually dispersed the crowd.
However, police said three officers suffered minor injuries and received treatment at hospital before being discharged.
Police said a number of people had been charged over the fight.
Kununurra detectives will continue to investigate the incident and said more charges may follow.
East Kimberley Football League president Wayne Paul was contacted by the ABC but declined to comment.
‘Should be disqualified’
Halls Creek Shire president Malcolm Edwards said there was a feud which had escalated at the match.
“They’ve been fighting outside of the football. So having the football just escalated the situation I suppose,” he said.
Mr Edwards said there would be a meeting between police, the Halls Creek Shire and football clubs to discuss the future of the competition.
“I wouldn’t like to see football cancelled completely,” Mr Edwards said.
“If one of the teams is the issue then ban that team.
“At the meetings I’ll be expressing that they [the EKFL] say at the start the season ‘Right if you mess up, you’re out straight away being disqualified from the competition’.”
The EKFL announced last week there would be no alcohol at the grand final and spectators would be breathalysed upon entry.
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Source: AFL NEWS ABC
