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July 19 2013 ISSUE 146
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT PH: 9549 1190 FAX: 9549 1122
A 33-year-old man was arrested by police after making a 100-metre dash naked across the playing field to interrupt play in the closing minutes of the State of Origin decider at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday.
World’s most hated?
Tempe man with track record causes chaos at Origin decider CASSANDRA O CONNOR
I
t is the question on every spectator’s lips: was he a Queensland fan or a New South Welshman? Because the 33-year-old man who decided to streak across the field in the closing minutes of the tense Origin decider on Wednesday night at ANZ Stadium didn’t do either team any favours. Origin fans were on the edge of their seats on Wednesday night when in the fi nal three minutes of the match, Queensland looked to
cross the line. The Blues were moving quick in defence, but the course of history was forever changed when the 33-year-old man from Tempe ran 100 metres across the field to trip just short of the tryline and interrupt play. He was wearing nothing but his running shoes, and was dived on by stadium security and police officers. The game was halted and Queensland given a new set of six as per the rules, the fate of the game sealed: an eighth series win in a row for Queensland, 12-10. The streaker was restrained by security
guards before being arrested by officers, removed from the field under a pile of blankets and taken to Auburn Police Station. It is believed he is the same man who ran onto the field when Wests Tigers played the Warriors in an NRL fi nals game in 2011. The 33-year-old man has been issued with a court attendance notice for the offences of ‘wilful and obscene exposure’ and ‘enter or remain on playing field without authorisation’. He will appear in Burwood Local Court on Tuesday, August 6. He will also be issued with a banning notice prohibiting him from attending future events
at ANZ Stadium. Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Peter Gillam, in charge of a safety operation on the night, said the stupidity of one man marred what was an enthralling match. “Sadly one man’s actions disrupted the game during a crucial time. His running onto the field and into the middle of the play was not only dangerous but also idiotic and senseless,” he said. “No one wants to see a grown man running around naked at a footy match and this man can expect to not only feel the wrath of the crowd but also a magistrate.”
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