THE AFL has condemned the MCG spectators who threw bottles at the umpires at the end of the thrilling preliminary final between Hawthorn and Brisbane on Saturday night, promising bans of at least five years for those found to have been involved.
The Lions won a thrilling contest after earning a holding the ball free kick inside their forward 50, with Hugh McCluggage kicking the game-winning goal with just seconds remaining.
HAWKS v LIONS Full match coverage and stats
The officials ruled that Hawks defender Jarman Impey did not make an attempt to dispose of the ball when he had one arm free in the tackle and therefore awarded a free kick to the Lions.
Field umpires Brett Rosebury, Hayden Meyer, Nathan Williamson and Jacob Mollison had to take evasive action as projectiles were thrown at them as they walked from the ground after the game, including one bottle that appeared to come from the top level of the grandstand.
The AFL, Melbourne Cricket Club and Victoria Police will now work to identify the culprits.
"The AFL and MCC security will work with Vic Pol to identify the bottle throwers directed at the umpires last night," the AFL said in a statement.
"If identified, they will be banned from games and the stadium for a minimum 5 years.
"The passion for footy is unmatched in Australian sport, however what transpired last night by a number of individuals was dangerous and crossed the line."
AFL Umpires Association CEO Rob Kerr praised the umpires for having the courage to make some tough decisions and labelled the conduct of the bottle throwers "indefensible".
"The umpires showed real courage to make the decisions they did in an incredibly fierce contest, executing their roles under intense pressure," Kerr told News Corp.
"For a section of the crowd to respond to a decision made in real time by throwing bottles at the umpires is indefensible.
"Umpires do their job to the very best of their ability and they deserve to leave the ground safely regardless of the result. We hope that the AFL and the MCC can identify those responsible and ensure they face real consequences."
After the match, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said the emotion of the fans was understandable, but that the bottle throwing crossed a line.
"The emotion of sport, it’s why we love it so much," he said in his post-match press conference.
"All sports, but ours in particular – the beauty is the emotion it makes you feel.
"At the end of the game, part of me wanted to break down in tears. Part of me wanted to scream with rage. Part of me wanted to throw chairs.
"When you're in the stands, you need to continue to feel that emotion, but we shouldn't be throwing things on the field.
"But the passion is why we're here. I hope for the majority it was felt responsibly."
Earlier this year, a Sydney fan was fined and banned from attending games for five years after he threw a bottle at Hawthorn forward Nick Watson.
More to come