A SOUTH Australian amateur club has been banned from senior football for the rest of the year after the club's long-time captain was handed a record 20-year suspension for attacking an umpire.
Rosewater Football Club's 300-game stalwart, Adam Rumblelow, pleaded guilty on Wednesday night at a tribunal hearing of the South Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL) to attacking central umpire Craig Trewartha during a division five match against Blackfriars Old Scholars last Saturday.
South Australian premier Jay Weatherill is the local MP and No.1 ticket holder of Rosewater, a 130-year-old club.
Umpire Trewartha, a member of the SANFL Umpires Association for 49 years and awarded life membership in 2014, reported the incident to police on Sunday morning.
His right eye was badly bruised and swollen after the game and he received a cut eye from the alleged incident.
Adam Rumblelow's 20-year ban is believed to be the largest handed out by the SAAFL.
SAAFL chief executive John Kernahan told The Advertiser that Rosewater had been de-registered after a history of poor behavior, particularly to umpires, over the past two years.
The club's junior and masters teams are not affected by the ban. The club was also fined $2000 for bringing the SAAFL into disrepute.
It can apply to re-join the SAAFL next season, but it will be with strict conditions over the next three years.
