Pregnant woman hurt as Bulldogs and Rabbitohs fans brawl
Adam Walters | April 14, 2009 12:00am
A PREGNANT teenager was knocked over during a brawl involving more than 20 Bulldogs and South Sydney supporters at ANZ stadium last night.
The young woman collapsed when she became caught up in a fight between about 20 teenage fans just minutes after the game ended.
Wearing a Bulldogs jumper the 17-year-old victim collapsed and was left slumped up against a wall in the public concourse under the stadium's northern stand.
She was distressed and struggling to catch her breath as witnesses raised the alarm with security.
A friend was screaming: "She's pregnant for God's sake - will someone call an ambulance?"
By the time police arrived the brawling teenagers had scattered, and it was left to stadium security staff to care for the shaken victim.
Police have been forced to examine video footage of the brawl in a bid to identify those who started it.
The fight is the latest in a series of violent altercations involving Bulldogs supporters at the clubs Homebush home ground.
Paramedics treated the young woman at the scene.
A spokesman for the western area health service said the girl is 25 weeks pregnant, and was admitted to nearby hospital in a stable condition.
A spokesman for NSW police said they were unaware of the incident and that the police at the game were "cops for hire" paid for by NSW Rugby League.
An NRL spokesman last night said that they will collaborate with police to identify the initiators.
"If there's any issue with crowd behaviour we work with the police and the club to identify those people involved," he said.
"We will be looking to identify anyone who should be banned from matches."
The fight was witnessed by many families, including very young children.
One mother said she was disgusted by the violence.
"It's little wonder the Swans have a 48 percent base of female fans - the league has got to get serious about the safety of kids at these games,"she said.
"My kids could easily have been caught up in that mess, and apart from all the fighting the language was disgraceful," the woman said.
The brawling started as fans filed out of the stadium after the Bulldogs narrow victory over South Sydney.
The Daily Telegraph