The Best of the Biff: Famous Sporting Fights

Josh Dugan

Battle of Brookvale
One of the biggest NRL fights in recent memory occurred just a couple of years ago during the final round clash between the Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm. As Manly veteran Glenn Stewart and Storm opponent Adam Blair were sent to the sin bin, the two came together while leaving the field. The rumour goes one said to the other: “Let’s do this.” And, then all hell broke loose.

 

Demolition Derby
The Derby clashes between West Coast and Fremantle are among the most spiteful contests in the Australian sporting landscape, none more so than late in the 2000 season. Constantly derided as West Coast’s little brother, the Dockers lost their first nine clashes to the Eagles before earning a win in 1999. West Coast responded with a 117-point belting early in 2000 and were 42 points up on the Dockers in their second clash of the season. That was the cue for Freo to launch an amazing comeback that saw them beat West Coast by a point. But the real talking point was the massive fight that broke out as Dockers’ veteran Dale Kickett lost the plot, earning this game the name of Demolition Derby.

 

Line in the Sand
An AFL juggernaut now, it's difficult to imagine a time when Hawthorn were struggling. But back in 2004, the club was in dire straits and were being monstered by old rival Essendon during the Round 11 clash. Legend has it, club director Dermott Brereton spoke to the team at half-time and urged them to draw a 'line in the sand' that said they would not be physically intimdated by the Bombers. The end result was one seriously spiteful second half, even if the Bombers cruised to convincing win.

 

The Battle of the Gnoll
In November 1994, 10 months before they would win a famous World Cup, the Springboks headed to the Gnoll to play against Welsh side Neath. The result was one of the most vicious matches seen in many a year, one where the Welshman pushed the South Africans all the way in a 16-13 loss. 




American Sports Biffo
The NHL and MLB are a goldmine when it comes to the biff. Check out this compilation, just one of many from the land of the star-spangled banner.

 

Blood In the Water – Hungary v Russia Water Polo 1956 Olympics
One of the ugliest sporting contests in Olympic history occurred during the Melbourne games as Russia and Hungary lined up for a brutal water polo contest. Occurring just weeks after the USSR had invaded Hungary, this semi-final was packed with Cold War intrigue. The match flared up as Hungary’s Ervin Zador was punched in the eye by Russia’s Valentine Prokopov, although this was just one of several incidents throughout the game. 

Prokopov’s punch almost caused a riot, though, as members of the crowd, many of the Hungarian ex-pats, threatened to jump in the pool to take on the Russians themselves. Only some quick police intervention stopped a full-scale riot. The match resonates down to the present, though, as Hungarian players claimed during the game the Russians called them ‘Fascists’, a term that’s been levelled at the Ukrainian government by Russia during the recent conflict between those two nations.

 

Team-mate Tussle
One of the most bizarre fights seen in recent memory occurred between two Newcastle team-mates during the 2004-05 season as Magpies Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer boxed on during a clash against Aston Villa.

 

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