If Fagan was there & saw him follow Clarko for a distance & Clarko tell him to go away a few times - why on earth didn't Fagan intervene? Visually deficient Frederick could have seen what was going to happen.

And Port need to step up and say they don't want anything to do with this guy etc etc.

Otherwise the hero gets exactly what he wanted - leading the evening news!! - and there will be any number of cretins out there lining up to do the same.

Someone should know who this idiot provocateur is from the footage. His face was clearly visible. He needs to be outed for the agro fool that he is. And as for the yelling drunk who got hit, meh...

Just heard the Port CEO (I think) on the radio news criticising the guy & promising that they'll take further action. Well done.

What Clarko did was dumb, but St Francis of Assisi probably would have snotted the guy.

Let us not under play this Clarko incident with a local drunk. Channel 7 in their six oclock news ran this incident up front before the Nepal earthquake that cost thousands of lives and OZ casualties. We certainly understand our priorities now.

My view, and it will be unpopular, but hitting someone is never acceptable. Walk away. Let the law take its course, but I think he should get the same treatment as Jeremy Clarkson. If he is allowed to stay on he gives the next idiot the same excuse. He has brought the game into disrepute.

If Port supporters have crossed the line then penalise Adelaide as well. No supporters at home games for the next 3 home games (can see the AFL doing this!).

People die from being punched. It is never acceptable and Clarkson (Alistair) should be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

he certainly got bumped. The drunks knew what they were doing I have no doubt.

Why are the aggressors allowed to prevail?

Aggressors should not be allowed to prevail. Nor should those who retaliate. Why is it that Clarkson's reactions should be acceptable? Because he is well known or important?

As soon as we give any person the right to "retaliate" as he or she sees fit we give open slather to thugs in the street.

This is not a football issue. This is an issue of whether it is OK to hit someone in the street, whatever the provocation. It is never acceptable.

This is not a football issue. This is an issue of whether it is OK to hit someone in the street, whatever the provocation. It is never acceptable.

What an insane comment. What if you or someone you're with is being assaulted/sexually attacked/robbed on the street? Oh I guess there IS a situation where it is acceptable to hit someone. What this moron did put himself in a position where his victim was absolutely in his rights to stand up for himself. As many have said, it's a shame he didn't get knocked out cold because that what morons like him deserve. Why would anyone be going in to bat for this character, it is mind-boggling. Here's how to not get a hard shove from a former footballer - don't get in his face with intimidating, stupid behaviour and you'll be fine.

The right thing to do is probably not push/hit the guy, sure. But no one is perfect, especially not ex hard nut footballers that just lost a close game and a key defender, stress levels already up, add fuckface to the mix and it's a pretty basic human instict to swat an annoying [censored] out of your way.

Who's to say if Clarko didn't act, the harassment wouldn't have escalated into something more dangerous.

No one got the slightest bit hurt, move on.

What an insane comment. What if you or someone you're with is being assaulted/sexually attacked/robbed on the street? Oh I guess there IS a situation where it is acceptable to hit someone. What this moron did put himself in a position where his victim was absolutely in his rights to stand up for himself. As many have said, it's a shame he didn't get knocked out cold because that what morons like him deserve. Why would anyone be going in to bat for this character, it is mind-boggling. Here's how to not get a hard shove from a former footballer - don't get in his face with intimidating, stupid behaviour and you'll be fine.

Yep, Clearly Clarko was being raped! So all good.

My view, and it will be unpopular, but hitting someone is never acceptable. Walk away. Let the law take its course, but I think he should get the same treatment as Jeremy Clarkson. If he is allowed to stay on he gives the next idiot the same excuse. He has brought the game into disrepute.

If Port supporters have crossed the line then penalise Adelaide as well. No supporters at home games for the next 3 home games (can see the AFL doing this!).

People die from being punched. It is never acceptable and Clarkson (Alistair) should be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

Have you even seen the footage??? It was a strong shove with an open hand... NOT a punch.

Alistair Clarkson is a Senior AFL Coach. As I said READ MY COMMENTS

1 The AFL need to ensure spectators do not go anywhere near coaches at any stage!

2 He has shown himself before to be not able to control himself when things are not going his way!

He needs to be beyond that as a role model he owes it to himself, his club and the league!

He cannot seem to do this!! As for the "Angry little man" well he aint exactly tall!

As for dumb comments doesn't matter what size you are pal your comments are the dumbest!

Your just another apologist for tossers who want their 5 minutes of fame. I'm sick of people apologising for bad behaviour in society. Clarkson should not have to put up with this nonsense. Unfortunately the world is full of wannabes.

Fond memory of UK Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott , punching a grinning bogan who egged him at close range during the 2001 election campaign . The recipients in each case got their right wack .

Aggressors should not be allowed to prevail. Nor should those who retaliate. Why is it that Clarkson's reactions should be acceptable? Because he is well known or important?

As soon as we give any person the right to "retaliate" as he or she sees fit we give open slather to thugs in the street.

This is not a football issue. This is an issue of whether it is OK to hit someone in the street, whatever the provocation. It is never acceptable.

When a group of blokes have been on a lager frenzy with the camera switched on it is pretty dam hard to just walk away.

They don't let you...What these guys want is a reaction.

So you think Clarko should just soaked it all up right up to the hotel door???

Reality is not like that.

The right thing to do is probably not push/hit the guy, sure. But no one is perfect, especially not ex hard nut footballers that just lost a close game and a key defender, stress levels already up, add fuckface to the mix and it's a pretty basic human instict to swat an annoying [censored] out of your way.

Who's to say if Clarko didn't act, the harassment wouldn't have escalated into something more dangerous.

No one got the slightest bit hurt, move on.

Haha [censored]

These Clarksons (Jeremy and Alistair) like hitting people!

Anybody here like to get harrased, have private space invaded, getting yelled at in the ear follwed and harrased for 40 mins then get filmed without permission and of all places just outside of work.

Working in retail I cant stand getting abused at all let alone at work.

Just saw on 7 jeff kennet backing clarko like more people should.

Sorry, didn't realize invading his space meant he actually touched him.

So by law do you have to tolerate drunk people invading your space and repeatedly yelling in your ear as you try to walk the street?

Not where I come from Redleg.

I wouldn't do it to others and i would not accept it for as long as Clarkson did.

My view, and it will be unpopular, but hitting someone is never acceptable. Walk away. Let the law take its course, but I think he should get the same treatment as Jeremy Clarkson. If he is allowed to stay on he gives the next idiot the same excuse. He has brought the game into disrepute.

If Port supporters have crossed the line then penalise Adelaide as well. No supporters at home games for the next 3 home games (can see the AFL doing this!).

People die from being punched. It is never acceptable and Clarkson (Alistair) should be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

He pushed the guy away - I am sure he could have delivered a serious king hit had he wanted to, but he didn't.

And as for hitting someone, there maybe is a time it needs to be done (not this time mind you): Neville Chamberlain v Adolph springs to mind.

These comparisons with a king hit or coward punch are ludicrous. A king hit is when a person is hit and is completely unawares that it is happening. It is usually from behind. Have you people even seen the footage (which is edited and sendt to media outlets by the lager louts).

The guy is lucky he is still walking the streets, I hope is charged.

Channel 7 had a segment on this and interviewed a mother who lost her son to a one-hit punch. Of course she criticised Clarko.

Cringeworthy stuff. We live in a fairyland society where it's even immoral to defend yourself. She said he shouldn't have done it because he's a role model.

Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. I'd have done the same thing.

was anyone hurt?

send it to the mrp

On the definition of king-hits, I saw nothing in the recent legislation that said that you had to hit someone unawares and from behind to 'qualify' as some have suggested. But in any case, hitting a seriously drunk person from any direction could be seen as hitting him unawares.

It seems unpopular here, but I'm with Redleg on this. A push is OK, if that is what he did, but no more. Until you are really physically threatened rather than just extremely annoyed you should not hit anyone including a drunk nuisance. Walk away or threaten to call the fuzz and call them if that doesn't work.

Like all of us I don't know the details, but I'm surprised that 40 minutes went by with little action to defuse things as has been claimed. If it was me, I can imagine just putting up with being annoyed for that long. But I'm surprised when a high-profile person doesn't clear out long before other people might, knowing that they are likely to be a target for drunk idiots and the resulting media interest. Poor judgement if nothing else.

(Don't tell me that 'celebs' shouldn't have to act differently than the rest of us (while having the same legal rights) - sorry, that is one of the prices of fame.)

Just watched the footage. Deliberate provocation, getting up in his face with a view to getting saleable video, which is what happened. I don't blame Clarkson at all for giving the guy a slap, though I probably would have walked on myself. It didn't look like a punch to me, there was no weight behind it, and all the "one-punch can kill" stuff is pure beatup.

I am not a fan of bringing the 'One Punch Brigade' into this.

This was not an assault of someone unknowingly, it was harassment and the consequences of harassment if someone reacts poorly.

To equate this to someone king hitting a kid from behind at 2am in the morning in the city is below par.

Have to agree 'rp', having been king hit from behind, kid or not (I'm not) this was nothing like it.

However there are somethings that could be addressed here, one is that it maybe time police took a harder line with people being drunk in a public place. Get idiots off the streets.

Where did this "40 minutes" (that I have seen mentioned in a couple of responses now) come from? It was, in Clarko's words, 40 METRES. Unless he was walking extremely slowly, there is a big difference.