‘Put him in a headlock': Mark Ricciuto comes clean on infamous pub brawl, Port Adelaide vs Adelaide
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
'I won't be putting him in a headlock, that's for sure.'
Mark Ricciuto knows a thing or two about Showdowns and the AFL great is fired up for the 57th edition of the bitter clash between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide on Saturday night, exclusive on Fox Footy and Kayo.
Port are coming off a 90-point loss but Ricciuto believes form goes out the window in Showdowns, where there is no shortage of feistiness, as the Crows legend and Fox Footy expert knows all too well.
FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every AFL match this Saturday LIVE. Catch all the action in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.
Ricciuto was involved in an famous fight the day after Port Adelaide won the 2002 Showdown by eight points — the Power's fourth Showdown victory in a row — when players from both teams kicked on to Adelaide's Ramsgate Hotel.
Kane Cornes lifted the lid on the infamous pub brawl in 2020, telling AFL Media Ricciuto and hard nosed Port midfielder Josh Carr went at each other in one of footy's most legendary off-field scuffles.
'A conversation struck up between Mark Ricciuto and Josh Carr when 'Roo' asked Josh Carr if (he) could please join him outside,' Cornes recalled.
Josh Carr (middle left blue jersey) and Mark Ricciuto (with ball) clashed in countless AFL Showdowns.
'Now Josh Carr was unaware of why Mark Ricciuto wanted him to join him outside of the establishment. But in the end, we know what happened.
'There was some sort of push and shove. Mark Ricciuto says that he chucked Josh Carr over the bonnet of a car. Certainly from the people that I've spoken to, there was a serious headlock placed by Ricciuto on Carr, which forced some of Carr's teammates from Port Adelaide to come over quickly and try and sort this out, because they were worried Carr was going to get strangled.
X
Ricciuto chuckled when asked about the incident and his feelings towards Carr, who will take over Ken Hinkley as Port Adelaide's head coach next season, meaning the old foes will face off again when Ricciuto interviews Carr on Fox Footy.
'I will not be interviewing him (Carr) in a headlock, that's for sure,' Ricciuto told news.com.au.
'But we've got a lot of respect for each other. 'Carr-y' is a great fella.
'I didn't like him at all during my playing career. I didn't like any taggers to be honest when I was in my playing career, but as soon as I finished, there's always a mutual respect, you just don't show it while you're playing.
Ricciuto on the bottom of a pack with Josh Carr (right) in the 2002 Showdown at Footy Park.
'You probably pretend you hate him even more than what you really do and then afterwards you kiss and make up and you do that with everyone. Well, I have anyway.
'I'm friends with everyone from Port Adelaide. I don't think I've got any enemies, that I know of anyway.'
Ricciuto said time heals all wounds and he wishes nothing but the best for Carr as he becomes a senior AFL coach.
'He's a ripping fellow and I wish him all the best in his coaching career,' Ricciuto said.
'I think it's a great story for Josh to come from where he's come from and to be the next coach of the footy club. I think that's awesome.'
'YOU GO OUT THERE TRYING TO HURT PEOPLE'
Showdowns can be seriously fiery contests where players push the line, as was seen last year when Port's Dan Houston bumped Crows star Izak Rankine and knocked him out cold.
'I'm sure Dan Houston didn't try and knock out Izak Rankine last year,' Ricciuto said.
'I'm sure what Houston was trying to do was be tough and put his body on the line for his teammates. That's what he was trying do, he got it slightly wrong. That's what happens.
'So it's a fine line and that's why we love the game.'
Port Adelaide's Josh Carr then and now.
The 1998 Crows premiership winner added: 'A Showdown is like any big game like a final, grand final — you've got to be careful of doing is not amping it up too much.
'I've absolutely been guilty of that where you get amped up to the eyeballs and you go out there and trying to kill or hurt people and you give away stupid free kicks, and you do the exact opposite of what you really want to do.
'So it's a balance between channeling all your energy and nerves into what you got to do is put all that at the at the ball.
'That's the balance and sometimes, yeah that spills over.'
Mark Ricciuto knows Showdowns can get feisty.
Port's Conor Rozee and Adelaide's Jordan Dawson with the Showdown Shield. (Photo by)
Ricciuto is a longstanding member of Fox Footy's commentary team as well as a Crows board member, and he's used to receiving a fruity reception from fans of both Adelaide teams.
'I've been doing it (commentating) since the day I retired, so I'm pretty good at it, I think,' Ricciuto said.
'If this is an indication of being unbiased or neutral, I do get abused by both sets of supporters.
'So if I check my Twitter or X account and I get abused by both sets of supporters then you know you've been pretty neutral.'
As for this weekend's Showdown, Ricciuto is tipping 'the Crows by a point'.
Watch the Adelaide Crows vs Port Adelaide in the AFL Showdown, live and exclusive on Kayo Sports on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST and 7.40pm local time.
Originally published as 'Put him in a headlock': Mark Ricciuto comes clean on infamous pub brawl
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘What else is he meant to do?': GWS gun taken out in brutal bump
GWS Giants star Lachie Whitfield got cleaned up by a brutal bump against the Gold Coast Suns, but Suns spearhead Ben King is expected to escape punishment for the hit. The incident occurred late in the first quarter of the clash between two AFL expansion sides on Sunday afternoon in Sydney, as GWS claimed a thrilling seven-point win. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. A bouncing ball made its way towards Whitfield, but before he could collect it, King knocked Whitfield over with a heavy hip and shoulder. Whitfield was taken down to the Giants changerooms and was ruled out of the game with concussion, replaced by substitute Jake Stringer in the second quarter. Fox Footy's Alastair Lynch said: 'Ben King comes in and certainly his left shoulder hits Lachie Whitfield in the jaw and he goes down. Watch the bump on Lachie Whitfield in the video above 'He stayed out on the ground but he was assessed by video and they got him off the ground. 'I think Ben King should be right with that one. He was looking to protect the ball with his body and he hits Lachie Whitfield at the same time.' Fox Footy Tribunal expert David Zita said: 'Ben King was contesting the ball reasonably here, I think. He was running through the line. I don't know what else he was supposed to do in that situation. 'I don't think the action was a reportable offence. I don't see him having anything to worry about. What else is he meant to do?' The bump is certainly not dead — Geelong's Tom Stewart was cleared of any wrongdoing for his crunching bump on Gold Coast's Noah Anderson earlier this month. GWS recovered from a poor first quarter to claim a thrilling comeback win over the Suns to consolidate their position in the top eight. Gold Coast kicked four goals in the first four minutes of the game to take a big early lead, posting seven goals to four in a dominant opening quarter. But the Giants fought back and took the lead midway through the final quarter, kicking eight goals to three in the final term. 'It's a classic game, everybody is lifting,' Gerard Healy said on Fox Footy. Stringer and GWS captain Toby Greene kicked two goals each as the Giants surged in front in a highscoring final quarter, holding on to win 16.10 (106) to 14.15 (99). 'This is exactly why we got him here and he'll just get better,' Greene said about Stringer post-game. The Suns have never won at ENGIE Stadium in Sydney and will slip out of the top eight, while the Giants head to the bye after recording wins over Brisbane and Gold Coast.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
GWS Giants star crunched in brutal bump
GWS defender Lachie Whitfield was taken out of the game after getting concussed from a brutal hit from Suns spearhead Ben King.
West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle's Liam Reidy on being the forgotten man in the Dockers' ruck dilemma
Fremantle's Liam Reidy has conceded the success of ruckmen who have thrived at a second club does cross his mind as he battles to get a game ahead of stars Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy. Reidy is almost the forgotten man in the debate which surrounds the Dockers' ruck stocks, with persistent talks around the validity of coach Justin Longmuir playing both Jackson and Darcy in the same team. The 204cm mature-age rookie has played only three AFL games in three seasons and is unlikely to add to that this year unless either of the big men ahead of him in the pecking order are injured. This is despite Reidy's solid form in the WAFL for Peel Thunder, where he averages 42 hit-outs and 14 disposals. Reidy is arguably following a similar path to former Docker Lloyd Meek, who managed only 15 games in five seasons at the harbour club before he was traded to Hawthorn, where he has become one of the game's best tap-men. When asked if he looks at the success of Collingwood's Darcy Cameron and Meek as examples of ruckmen who have starred at their second clubs, Reidy said: 'You kind of think about that when you're not getting an opportunity. 'But I am at Freo at the moment and the rest of the year, so I am just worried about putting my best foot forward every week and playing some good footy. The rest will take care of itself.' Reid hasn't played for Fremantle since the disappointing round one defeat to Geelong, but he hasn't given up hope off suiting up again. 'I want to be playing at the top level, but I know the two boys ahead of me are pretty solid players as well,' he said. 'I am just trying to get better and keep developing myself, speaking to the line coaches, the ruck coach as well and continuing to get better every week. 'I keep it pretty week to week. I've got the things I need to work on, so I'll just jeep on doing that and bringing my strengths every week and stacking up good performances and keep on moving forward. I don't look too long-term at all.' Reidy said he looked up to North Melbourne counterpart Tristan Xerri as well as Melbourne captain Max Gawn, who taught him a lesson during a pre-season game in Mandurah this year. 'You learn a lot. Those blokes are so smart, and the ruck is a chess battle really,' he said. 'He's done it so many times at the top level, so after that you learn a lot once you dissect it and go through the film. He taught me a few things, that's for sure.'
