Ugly scenes unfolded at the MCG on Saturday afternoon high in the stands during the final quarter of the match between Collingwood and Port Adelaide.
The wild brawl is believed to have started after a war of words between two groups of men in the Ponsford Stand.
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Victoria Police confirmed four men were arrested following the incident with footage showing punches being thrown between the men.
The incident occurred around 4pm (AEDT), in the dying stages of Collingwood’s big win over the Power.
MCG security and police officers rushed to the incident to break up the scuffle before leading the men away.
One man being escorted away had blood streaming from his face in a sign of just how ugly things got.
No serious injuries were reported.
Collingwood quashed any remaining doubt it is a serious premiership contender and issued Port Adelaide a harsh reality check with its scintillating display.
The Magpies attacked ruthlessly to kick the Power out of the game inside the first half with a chain of nine unanswered goals, while their forward-half pressure was intense and left their Adelaide rivals looking listless as they searched for a way up the field.
It was the exact kind of “chaos game” Port coach Ken Hinkley said during the week his players were preparing for, but the Power had no answers for the Magpies’ firepower as they stormed to a 49-point halftime lead off the back of 10 individual goalkickers.
The Daicos brothers again had the MCG crowd heaving with a flurry of classy finishes, as Scott Pendlebury put the younger Daicos on a path to a goal via a vintage no-look overhead handball.
Like the ageless Pendlebury, fellow veteran Steele Sidebottom was in everything as Collingwood comprehensively won the midfield battle, with Jason Horne-Francis heavily targeted in the contest and Ollie Wines and Connor Rozee well short of their usual impact.
The loss was a 125-point turnaround on Port Adelaide’s round 1 win over Brisbane, leaving serious question marks over the side’s ability to consistently match the best teams in the competition – Collingwood now knows for certain it is one of those teams.
– with Ed Bourke, NCA Newswire