Former Port Adelaide and Brisbane star Tom Rockliff has expressed his disgust in the behaviour of Carlton fans following a "disrespectful" incident at the MCG on Sunday.
Rockliff attended the Round 5 encounter between the Blues and Power with his son by his side for the first time as they cheered on Port Adelaide in what was a thrilling contest between the two sides.
Carlton would hold on by three points as the Power clawed their way back from a 50-point deficit to narrowly miss out on their first win of the season, with the Blues collecting their fourth victory for 2022.
Following the match, Rockliff's return to the supporter's seats quickly turned sour, with the former Brisbane captain having been spat at by fans.
“What a way to be let down,” Rockliff wrote in a post to Twitter.
“Carlton supporters spitting at me when I am walking home with my son is not on.
“Passion is great but let’s remember it’s sport.
"I admit I was cheering harder than anyone at the 'G and pushed it - but there is a difference between cheering and being spat at."
Recounting the incident to Fox Sports, Rockliff said that while his own banter may have "pushed the boundary", there is simply no excuse for spitting at other fans.
“I was cheering hard for Port Adelaide... and I probably pushed the boundary,” Rockliff said.
“I’ve got no issue with anything that gets said. But after it’s said and done and you walk out getting spat at, it’s pretty disrespectful – not only to me, but it leaves a sour taste in my son’s mouth as well.
“I’ve always been at the footy and he’s been up in the stands with his mother watching and the first opportunity that I got to take him to the MCG – the colosseum of AFL footy – and for him to leave with that experience is really disappointing.
“It’s not Carlton’s fault, to be honest, just those specific supporters that thought it was a good idea. They were very quiet in the second half but wanted to have a crack after the game, which is disappointing.
“They were very verbal inside the ground (during the first half) and I just covered up my son’s ears, but when you get a little saliva spat at you – whether it was deliberate or not, I would say it was deliberate and whoever it was would say it wasn’t deliberate – it’s not a great feeling.
“You want people to go to the footy now and have fun, we know crowds have been down. But when you’ve got people acting like that, it’s not a great feeling to walk away from the game. If your team wins, fantastic. If your team loses, it loses. There’s no need to put your saliva anywhere near anyone else."
Rockliff played 54 games for Port Adelaide between 2018-2021 after moving from the Lions, calling time on his career after ongoing issues with injury hampered his final years in the AFL.