A wild brawl between South Sydney and Sydney Roosters supporters resulted in 22 people being evicted from Accor Stadium on Friday night.
NSW Police and Venues NSW are reviewing the incident, which took place in the stands during the second half.
Footage of the fight quickly circulated on social media, with young men wearing Souths and Roosters clothing trading blows.
South Sydney finished with one man on the bench due to injuries, but came from behind to defeat their bitter rivals 20-14.
A bullet-like cutout pass from the returning Latrell Mitchell to Isaiah Tass for the match-winner was the highlight of the game.
Souths now head to Perth for next Saturday’s double-header against the North Queensland Cowboys, with English recruit Lewis Dodd a chance to finally make his NRL debut. Dodd is the $650,000-a-season halfback signed from the English Super League to wear the No.7, but missed round one due to suspension, and has been forced to watch Jamie Humphreys make the position his own.
Fans brawl at the Rabbitohs-Roosters clash on Friday night.Credit: X
Dodd is likely to be a late scratching from Sunday’s NSW Cup game where he was listed to start at halfback.
Humphreys and Cody Walker failed to finish the game against the Roosters because of hamstring injuries, and Souths are reluctant to risk the pair next week, especially with the long flights to Perth and back.
Souths are suddenly 4-1 after five rounds under coach Wayne Bennett, and will spend the next month playing in front of huge crowds: 40,000 are expected at Optus Stadium in the Western Australian capital, followed by a similar attendance for the Good Friday clash against the Bulldogs, 20,000-plus fans at AAMI Park in Melbourne for Anzac Day, then a sellout at Suncorp Stadium for Magic Round.
Latrell Mitchell and Isaiah Tass celebrate the match winner on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
As for Friday’s unruly scenes, South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly said the club was working with the NRL and stadium authorities.
A Venues NSW spokesperson said: “Police and security responded and, ultimately, two groups of 11 males were evicted via different stadium gates. No medical assistance was required and no injuries were reported.
“NSW Police and Venues NSW are reviewing the incident to identify the instigators.
“Any offenders will be dealt with by police and face bans from attending future events.
“Venues NSW has a zero-tolerance approach to anti-social behaviour, and we have in place strong processes to identify, respond to and resolve incidents.”
An NRL spokesperson added: “The NRL will work with the venue, security and NSW Police to identify instigators and take action through the NRL spectator code of conduct. Anti-social or abusive behaviour at NRL matches will not be tolerated.”
