- Auzzie the Eagle goes rogue before AFL game
- The bird landed several times in the crowd
- Fans were warned not to approach the eagle.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson jokingly suggested the smell of steak may have contributed to the club’s live eagle mascot making a dramatic escape ahead of their AFL clash with St Kilda.
As part of the West Coast pre-game tradition, ‘Auzzie the Eagle’ took a quick lap of Optus Stadium before Saturday’s game in front of 47,526 fans.
But after originally returning to its designated landing point in the middle of the oval, the eagle quickly escaped and began flying to various parts of the 60,000-seat stadium.
The eagle landed among the crowd several times, spending a minute or two in each spot before flying away again.
AFL match nearly delayed when mascot disgraced at Optus Stadium
Ground announcer, Prime Minister Eagle Karl Langdon in 1992, warned fans not to approach the eagle, given its “sharp talons”.
The eagle was still flying when players from both sides took to the ground, and the accompanying fireworks sparked concern among some fans that the animal might become spooked.
After more than 10 minutes of freedom, the eagle was finally caught right next to the West Coast coaches’ box, with Simpson looking on in bewilderment.
Simpson was able to see the brighter side of the escape.
“He went rogue, Auzzie,” Simpson said, laughing.
“It was right before the game, so I was trying to get the running back out to tell the lady to just put that thing back in the center circle; that’s where Auzzie wanted to land.”
But in the end she knew what she was doing and was in the box next to us.
“Maybe there was a steak Auzzie could smell in that corporate box next to us.”
The Australian was unable to return to her handler, causing some chaos among officials.
It is not the first time that Auzzie has gone off script before a game, something similar will happen in 2021.
“Wow, there’s been some drama in the lead-up to this game,” said Fox Footy presenter Kath Loughnan.
‘Auzzie the eagle… got a little lost. He usually flies around the stadium a bit and lands at his post in the middle of the ground. But today he went all over the store!
‘Thankfully, after about five minutes of intense pressure from that lady on the screen to catch him, he did. “She did an incredible job.”