Racist remarks, bias ref to blame for brawl - chairman

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The chairman of a rugby league club whose fans were accused of starting a mass brawl says the referee was biased, the players were being taunted with racist remarks ... and the other side started it.

The Herald reported yesterday that the brawl broke out at the Mt Wellington Warriors and Glenfield Greyhounds game after Glenfield scored the final try and won the game.

Glenfield said Mt Wellington supporters rushed on to the field after the game, leading to a fight and five injuries including a Glenfield player being knocked out by a punch from behind.

Mt Wellington club chairman Dean Kini last night defended his team.

He said the referee was making biased calls, and that Glenfield players and supporters were making racist remarks.

The combination made his team "lose control" - but a Glenfield player still threw the first punch.

"It was a Glenfield player who struck at one of my players first and the referee allowed the game to continue. The Mt Wellington teammates were just trying to stop the fight," he said.

"The fight shouldn't have happened, but it did. At this point you can't really say who was to blame."

Mr Kini said no one in the Mt Wellington team was badly injured in the brawl.

A Glenfield player told the Herald on Wednesday that he was knocked out and as he was getting to his knees, he was punched again by a Mt Wellington player.

He was taken to hospital with a broken nose and concussion.

Spectator Rex Hunia, said he saw that attack and ran to try to help the Glenfield player, but was struck by a Mt Wellington player.

Mr Hunia and the Glenfield player have lodged a complaint with police about three Mt Wellington players.

"It was as close to a prison riot as you would ever see on a football field," he said.

The game, a quarter-final in the Phelan Shield competition, was played at Thompson Park in Mt Wellington on Saturday.

Glenfield won 32-2, and go on to the semifinals being played this weekend.

The Auckland Rugby League will collect both teams' version of events today and an independent judiciary on Monday will decide whether further action should be taken.