All I know about Aussie rules football is it's an Australian version of rugby played by Australians, so you know it's fun, crazy, and violent.

As you can imagine, the fans get into it... really into it. And on June 21, 1986, the Collingwood Magpies were playing the Sydney Swans in front of a crowd of about 28,000 fans. The Magpies were the home team and heavily favored.

Sports columnist Lou Richards wrote before the game:

"Sydney Swans? Don't make me laugh. They will be known as the 'Wimps of Woolloomooloo' after Collingwood gets through with them at Victoria Park today."

Richards was right for the first half, and early in the third quarter, Collingwood was up by 34 points. In the fourth quarter, it was a 24-point lead, and then just five points. The game ended on a controversial free kick -- replays seemed to show it was the correct call -- that gave the Swans the upset win by a single point.

Approximately 1,000 furious fans stormed the field, surging around two mounted police officers who could do nothing to stem the tide, and went after the Swans players as well as the umpires.

Meanwhile those who remained in the stands threw beer cans and garbage at the retreating players and umpires -- and attacked the visiting Swans fans as they tried to flee the stadium.

Two umpires, Paul Nicholls and Peter Howe, were assaulted by the fans. Another umpire, Shane McDonald, was held as someone spit in his face.

One player on the Swans, Merv Neagle, was grabbed by fans, but a teammate managed to drag him back to safety. Peter Simunovich, a newspaper reporter covering the game, also was attacked by fans, but wasn't seriously injured.

Not as lucky were Howe and two police officers, who were treated for injuries.

As the Swans players ran off the field, some fans chased them, trying to batter down the door of the visiting locker room.

Police Sgt. Wayne Miller was a little understated when he said: "They were certainly fired up." A little more accurately, he called it: "One of the ugliest incidents we have seen."

Apparently only one fan was arrested!

Lou Richards, the columnist who predicted the Swans would be called the "Wimps of Woolloomooloo", wrote:

"In the old days Magpie fans used to shout: ‘Kill the umpire.’ Nowadays some ratbags try to do it. Fair dinkum, the club and the sport need those sort of supporters like I do a boil on the backside."